Marriage of Convenience
by lovessamcedes
Summary: Repost of Chapter 1-16. 17 onwards will be brand new chapters. Look inside for the description.
1. Chapter 1

**Mercedes' family was in desperate need of financial help and Sam being a close friend of her family offered to marry her. What Mercedes didn't know was that Sam was in love with her. His plan was to make her fall in love with him after they were married. The catch was, he had to do it within a year before he was forced to divorce her.**

* * *

Mercedes Jones held on tightly to her dad's arm while they waited for the wedding march to begin. She wondered if she was doing the right thing by marrying a man that she was not in love with. Sure, she was attracted to Sam but he was arrogant and for the life of her she could never get along with him. They had nothing in common but for the mutual hate that they felt for each other. She rubbed her temples to ease her headache when she thought about having to spend the next year living as man and wife with Sam. The deal was that he would help her family but she had to stay married to him for a year; the whole staying married for one year was her idea. After their first anniversary, she could file for a divorce and leave. Although she was nervous, she kept reminding herself that she was doing this for her family. The Evans' were going to save them from being financially ruined. It was not her plan to get married, it was Sam's. She was actually shocked when he brought the matter up in front of their families. The proposal was not romantic, it was done solely to save the Jones' business empire from crumbling. She had readily agreed because her family meant the world to her. It was all logical, she marries him and he helps her family. But her biggest question was, what would Sam get in return? Was he really doing this out of the goodness of his heart or did he have an ulterior motive? She brushed the questions she had aside and smoothed down her wedding dress. She never pictured herself to be one of those women stuck in a marriage of convenience but it looked like she was going to be joining their ranks in a few short minutes.

"Are you ok, Cupcake?" Her dad, Adam Jones, asked looking worried. "You know you don't have to do this, right? No one is forcing you to marry Sam. I know you don't love him. Hell, I don't even think you like him. We can figure out how to save the company some other way."

Mercedes squeezed her dad's hand and smiled. "Don't worry daddy, I know what I'm doing. Sam is a good man. He'll take good care of me. I'll be just fine. Besides, we had a deal. He'll save the company and in return I just have to stay married to him for one year. I'm free to divorce him after that year is up."

"I know all this but you're only 20 years old. You have a lot going for you. You haven't even graduated from college yet. Marriage shouldn't be entered into lightly Mercedes, you should marry someone you love not someone like Sam, who is much too old for you. I just don't want you to get hurt."

She actually laughed for the very first time today. "You make Sam sound like he's ancient. He's only 25 years old daddy, the 5 year gap is not that bad. Now stop worrying about me…" The wedding march played, saving her from having to listen to her dad talk her out of getting married. "That's us, are you ready to walk your daughter down the aisle?"

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Her dad looked at her intently, waiting for her answer. "We can always blow this wedding off but you have to tell me right now, Cupcake… One word and we're out of here."

Her heart melted upon hearing her dad's words. He was the kindest man she knew and there was no way she could let him down. The decision was final, she was going to marry Sam. "I'm sure daddy…"

After her father kissed her on her forehead, he looked to the front and got into position. "Let's do this then…"

You can do this Mercedes! She chanted over and over as she made her way down the aisle towards her soon-to-be-husband, Sam Evans.

* * *

Sam couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful bride. Mercedes was walking towards him holding on to her dad's arm, smiling at their guests and family. In a few minutes he would finally have her as his own, his wife to love; well if she would let him love her that was. It all happened a year ago, when she was home from college. The Jones' were invited over for dinner at his parent's family home. Normally, Mercedes would skip the dinners but this time around she came along. His breath hitched when he saw her. She still looked the same, beautiful as but there was something different with her.

There was an air of maturity in her that he had never noticed before. That, coupled with her confidence, instantly made his brotherly feelings, develop into something more. In that moment, he knew that his feelings for her had changed. He had grown to like her as a woman and those feelings had never changed. He didn't know how it happened but one year later, the infatuation he felt for her had developed into full blown love. He was desperately in love with her actually but the sad part was she couldn't see it, probably because she was too busy hating him. He didn't know why she hated him so much. Yes, he could be obnoxious at times but he treated her well…for the most part. He had tried courting her last year, when his feelings were still developing but it was too late, she had already gone back to college. Granted, the college she went to was in the same city but she lived in the dorms and he never got to see her.

When she came home this summer, she came home to bad news. Her family was going bankrupt and he could see that the matter was bothering her. That was when he came up with the idea of marrying her. He proposed two weeks ago with both their families present. He had promised her that once they were married, he was going to merge their family businesses together, hence ending the Jones' financial problems. Mercedes was hesitant at first but quickly accepted; the only catch was, he had to grant her a divorce after one year of marriage. Sam did not like that clause but he had to accept it; thinking that he had one year to make her fall in love with him. He could do it right?

"Sam…" Adam's voice broke him from out of his musing.

After blinking a few times, smiled at the older man and apologized, "Sorry, I got carried away looking at my beautiful bride. Where were we?" He could see Mercedes rolling her eyes at him and that actually made him want to laugh. Winning her over was not going to be an easy feat but he was determined to have her body and soul, before the year was up. So despite of her feistiness, he smiled at her which earned him another eye roll.

"Well, she's all yours now." Adam gave a slight laugh and placed Mercedes' hand in his.

This was the first time they were touching each other and Sam could feel the sparks flying; from the slightly shocked look that Mercedes was showing, he could tell that she felt the sparks as well. After thanking Adam, he leaned down to whisper in Mercedes' ear. "Relax, you look like you're about to be dragged to the gallows."

"Marrying you is like being sent to the gallows…" Mercedes muttered under her breath, her vision not leaving the front.

Sam smirked and waited for the pastor to start the ceremony. It didn't take long to say their vows. His heart beat rapidly when the pastor announced. "You may now kiss your bride."

He paused for a second, searching for Mercedes' reaction. There was no hesitation on her part, through her shy confidence, he found the courage to close the gap between them and attach his lips onto hers. The kiss was supposed to be chaste but he got carried away when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Going by instinct, he licked the seam of her lips and entered her mouth; tasting the insides of her mouth. He had been waiting to kiss Mercedes for way too long and when it finally happened, he was left wanting more. The applause from the crowd was deafening but he drowned it out, putting all his focus on the kiss and the woman he was holding in his arms; his wife, Mercedes Evans.

Mercedes was the one to end the kiss. She was gasping for air as she glanced at him, her eyes blinking rapidly. Leaning down, he kissed her on the side of her mouth before pulling back and smirking. "Don't look so shocked that I could rock your world."

"And there goes captain asshole again…"

Sam's eyes gleamed with mischief. "That would make you, Mrs. Asshole." She huffed but before she could say anything else, he linked his fingers with hers and said, "Come on feisty girl, we can continue this argument later." They walked down the aisle, heading towards the front door of the church where the limo was waiting on them to drive them to the reception.

"How do you like being Mrs. Evans?" He asked when they were on their way.

"What would you like me to say, Sam? That I like being married to a conceited man like you or that I enjoy being forced into a marriage I didn't want?" Mercedes responded with condescension.

His blood boiled hearing her comment. "Let's get this straight. I did not force you into marrying me. I simply offered. You could've refused but you wanted to do the right thing by your family. Please don't act like I'm a villain in this scenario." He hadn't meant to raise his voice but he had to defend his actions. Yes, he was in love with her but he'd be damn if he would let her walk all over him. His outburst left an eerie silence between them. Sam didn't want to talk for fear of snapping even further and Mercedes- well who knew what was really going on inside that pretty head of hers. "Look, I know you hate me but for tonight could you please put whatever hatred you have for me aside. I don't want to make our parents uncomfortable." It was already awkward enough that their parents knew that this marriage was a sham. He didn't want to cause them anymore discomfort at having to witness him and Mercedes bickering on their wedding day.

Mercedes stared out the window for a long while before finally facing him. "I don't hate you, Sam… I just don't get why you grate my nerves so much. I want to try to get along with you. At least, for the year we have to live together. It would be nice to live with a friend instead of an enemy."

She smiled so prettily at him that he felt his anger melting. "I would really like that and I will try not to irritate you so much." He reassured her, returning her smile.

"So we're agreed that from now on we're going to start being friendlier towards each other?"

"Yes, we're agreed…" He smirked.

"Pinky promise?" Her eyes glimmered with excitement as she held out her pinky finger to him.

Sam shook his head in amazement. He was amused at how innocently charming his new wife was. Her innocence only deepened his attraction for her. Connecting his pinky finger with hers, he said, "Pinky promise…"

* * *

After calling it truce with Sam, the air seemed to shift in a positive direction. They had another twenty minutes before arriving at the vineyard where the reception will be held, so to pass the time Mercedes thought about playing a game.

"Want to play 20 questions with me? It'll help me to get to know you better and vice versa." She suggested he smiled she knew that he had agreed with her suggestion.

"Sure, but I get to ask the question first." He tapped his pointer finger on his plump lips and for some reason she had the urge to kiss those lips again. Snap out of it, Mercedes! Stop thinking about Sam's lips! But god did those lips taste good… Her mind played a game of tug of war as she took in his handsome appearance. Shaking her head from all thoughts of his lips, she began concentrating on the question that he was going to ask her. "Out of all the colleges you could've gone to, why did you choose San Francisco State University? I mean you could've gone to Harvard. Why did you decide to stay in San Francisco?" He finally asked, looking at her seriously.

"That's two questions, Sam… You're only allowed to ask one question at a time."

He folded his arms and arched a brow. "Why don't you just answer the question, Mercedes? You can ask me two questions after this."

She couldn't believe how serious he was taking this but she played along, raising her arms in mock surrender, she said. "Alright, bossy… What can I say? I love San Francisco, this is where I was born and raised. It's a great city and I intend to live here for the rest of my life, so choosing SFSU instead of Harvard was an easy choice." She took a huge breath after her explanation and wiggled her brows. "Payback time… Why did you kiss me just now, Sam?" She blushed as soon as the words left her mouth, "Oh god…that came out wrong. What I meant was umm… Why did you deepen the kiss? It was only supposed to be a peck on the lips." She didn't know where that question came from. This was supposed to be a fun game but she had to ruin it by asking that stupid question. Great job, Mercedes! Now he's going to think that you've never been kissed before or better yet a freak. She was in the middle of berating herself when she noticed Sam inching closer towards her. "Umm… What are you doing?"

He flashed her a dashing smile as he came closer, making her move towards the locked limo door. She was now trapped with nowhere to run, accept into his arms and as much as it tempted her, she had to resist.

"Why do you look so nervous?" He brushed a lock of her hair away from her face. "I'm not going to hurt you. I was actually going to answer your question…"

She was breathless from his close proximity, her heart pounding loudly and her lips begging to be kissed again. "Could you move back a little bit? I'm a little uncomfortable mashed up against the door like this."

"Why would I want to do that? You're my wife aren't you? We're supposed to want to be near each other all the time." His lips were millimeters away from hers. She could feel his breath on her skin. She could almost taste his lips and boy, did she want that kiss again. "To answer your question… I've wanted to kiss you since last year when I realized what a gorgeous woman you've turned out to be. Now that I'm your husband, I'm going to use that as my advantage. I'm going to kiss you whenever I feel like it. Like right now…"

She wanted to protest but Sam's lips were already covering hers. Tongue probing her mouth seeking entrance. His kisses were addicting and she never wanted to stop kissing his lips. She heard him growl when she swirled her tongue around his. Her hands were touching him everywhere by then. Running across his hard back, ass and finally threading through his hair. She could feel his erection pressed between her thighs. Even through the multiple layers of fabric from her dress, she could feel him hard and dominant. She wanted him right then with a fierceness that even she herself didn't understand.

She didn't care that his right hand was fondling her sensitive breast, his fingers rolling her nipple. She reveled in the feeling. She craved more of it. They would probably have had sex in the back of the limo if it wasn't for the fact that the limo had stopped. Sam was the first to notice. She moaned her objection when he pulled away from the kiss.

"We have to go darling. Let's continue this later, yeah?" He was just as breathless as she was which only meant that he was just as reluctant to stop as she was.

She looked up at him and noticed that his lips were red from her lipstick. His hair was in a state of disarray and his bow tie hanging crookedly on his collar. He looked like a mess but a really hot mess. She knew that she shouldn't but she couldn't help herself. Grabbing at his neck, she kissed him again. It was worth it to be brazen because Sam was enjoying the kiss too. Their tongues tangled, hands' touching each other's bodies but their kiss was short lived when the driver knocked on the privacy partition. "Ma'am… Sir… We're here."

"Remind me to lodge a complaint against the driver tomorrow." Sam growled, frustration marring his handsome face.

She chuckled and said, "Don't be mean. The poor guy was just trying to do his job."

"He should know better than to interrupt a newlywed couple." He huffed, now sitting up and fixing his bow tie.

At the word newlywed she was reminded that they were not your average newly wedded couple. This was supposed to be a marriage of convenience but the way they acted was nothing at all like what they agreed on. "Sam, I think we need to talk about what went down just now. This cannot happen again. We're only supposed to be married in name. If the driver hadn't stopped god knows what could've happened."

"Can this wait until after the reception? We're already running late as it is and I don't want to keep our friends and family waiting any longer." He reached out for her hand and squeezed it. "I promise we'll talk later…"

His smile washed away her doubts. "We'll talk later…" She repeated his earlier words. "Now let's get fixed up and head in."

When they were ready, Sam took her hand in his and asked. "Are you ready, Mrs. Evans?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, Mr. Evans." She beamed at him.

With that they left the limo and headed into the reception where their friends and family were waiting for them, all thoughts and doubts about her marriage to Sam forgotten, for the moment.


	2. Chapter 2

Sam didn't know where his brazenness came from or better yet why he decided that kissing Mercedes in the limo was a good idea. He just knew that when he crossed the line it could never be uncrossed again. To be honest he didn't care about uncrossing them again. He wanted more of her kisses and he ached for her to surrender her heart to him. When Mercedes was in his arms kissing him, she was just a woman. One who lets her feelings guide her, instead of over analyzing every single thing. From her kiss he could tell that she was attracted to him. She might not love him but love comes slowly. Right now all he cared about was that they connected and if the kiss was any indication, they connected really well.

Alright, it was not just the kiss. They had a pretty nice conversation before the kiss happened. She opened up to him and he liked that. He wanted more of that Mercedes instead of the Mercedes who would look at him with disdain. He also liked seeing her smile, when she smiled it was like he was watching the morning sun rising up in the sky. Her smile made his heart soar and he would do anything to keep her smiling. He would be the happiest man on earth if he could keep that smile on that beautiful face of hers.

"Sam… Are you day dreaming?" Mercedes nudged his arm, startling him. "You were day dreaming weren't you?" She asked again with a hint of amusement in her voice and a glint of mischief in her brown eyes.

"You caught me… Want to know what I was day dreaming about?" Sam whispered in her ear.

"If it's anything dirty then I don't want to know." Mercedes replied with a chuckle

Her laugh did things to him. It was a like a Siren's call, tempting him to come to her and do as she bid. He had to join in her laughter. "Wouldn't you like to know…?" Sam wiggled his brows.

"You should go home and take a really, really cold shower because you're not getting what you think you're getting."

"We'll see. Shall we…" He said leaning down to kiss her jaw.

"Sam…" She shivered.

Her response made the crotch of his pants tighter. The things he envisioned doing to her and with her only made the bulge in his pants bigger. Good god, he had to stop thinking about those things. He was at his wedding reception for Pete's sake. Thank god, he was sitting down. It would be downright embarrassing if he was standing up and all the guests had witnessed the big problem in his pants. He had to keep his lust for her at bay. He didn't want to push her to the point where she's uncomfortable with him. Mercedes was right, he was going to have to take a really cold shower when he got home tonight. It was going to be torture having to spend the night with her on the same bed and not be able to touch her like he wanted to. What if she wanted to be touched? What would he do then? Stop it, Sam! Stop thinking about getting between Mercedes' luscious thighs! Oh god, those thighs. Those thighs and what's in between it are going to be the death of me. Stop it, you pervert! Wow, scolding himself actually worked. His 'big problem' was no longer a problem anymore.

CLING CLING

Sam gazed in the direction where the noise was coming from and spotted his best friend, Mike Chang, clearing his throat before starting his speech. "Hi everyone, my name is Mike Chang, for those of you who don't know me I am Sam's best friend," he pointed in Sam's direction and then continued, "I've been Sam's best friend since kindergarten. I can't believe he is now a married man. To be honest with you, I never pegged Sam to settle down at such a young age. A few years ago, he bet me that I would be the first to get married. By the way, you owe me a hundred bucks, buddy!" The crowd laughed. "I'm really happy that he picked Mercedes to be his wife and life companion. If anyone could kick your ego down a few notches, Sam, it would be Mercedes." The guests roared in laughter again. Raising his glass, Mike said, "Here's to my best friend and his beautiful bride, Mercedes. May you both be very happy together and make plenty of babies together. Cheers!"

After taking a sip of champagne he leaned over to a giggling Mercedes. "You think that speech was funny? I can't wait to hear what your best friend says about you…"

Sam was hoping that his remark would've stopped her laughter; unfortunately it only made her laugh even harder. "What? I just find it funny that he thinks I could straighten you out and believe me, I could kick your ego down a few notches." Sam feigned sadness. "Aww… Is Sammy's feeling hurt? Want me to make you feel better?" Mercedes asked flirtatiously.

Sam gulped and in that instant 'dirty' images involving Mercedes flashed through his mind. "Yes…" He said hoarsely.

Mercedes moved closer to him. Her lips were inches away from his. He licked his lips in anticipation. "Suck it up!" She suddenly said, deflating his lustful enthusiasm and then straightening up.

"You know, you really shouldn't be teasing me like that. You never know when I might take advantage of you…" He rubbed his thumb on the palm of her hand.

There was hint of excitement in her eyes. This was the new side of Mercedes that he was discovering. He had never seen her like this before. She was usually so reserved and uptight. He definitely liked the playful side of her. "What's the matter, Sam… Can't take the heat?"

"Witch!" He hissed in her ear, stopping the movement of his thumb. Mercedes was going to be death of him. She was trying his resolve. Sam didn't know how he would be able to hold himself back when all she did was test his patience. He wanted to wait for the right moment before making love to her but with the way his nymph of a wife was teasing him, he was not sure if he could stop himself from pouncing on her.

* * *

Mercedes was enjoying watching Sam's reaction to her flirting. She didn't know where she got the courage to flirt with him but ever since the kiss that they shared in the limo, she felt more comfortable with her new husband. She still wasn't sure if she liked him very much but so far he was proving to be an entertaining partner. She could see them trying to outwit the other and never grow tired of it. Then there's the unmistakable sexual tension between them. It was really weird how one make out session could wake up desires that she herself didn't know she had for Sam. She had a long time ago admitted that Sam was a good looking guy but never did she imagine that she would ever have such lustful thoughts about him. He tempted her when he spoke to her in his sexy voice. A voice so low and deep that she had to squeeze her thighs shut to quell the ache in her pussy. His abnormally large lips should be a turn off to most people but to her it was one of her favorite parts of him. When he kissed her, it was like those lips were made just for her. They meld perfectly with her own thick lips.

She had never felt this way about another man before; craving a man's touch so much that she burn with need. Sam was the first and only man who had that effect on her. She was not an innocent; she had had sex back in high school with her ex-boyfriend Shane Tinsley. Sex with Shane had been mediocre and safe. It didn't do anything for her. It didn't shatter her control. It didn't make her beg for more. But Sam did things to her that made her want to explore her sexuality. All these thoughts came from the one mind blowing kiss they had shared. She knew it was crazy but she couldn't help herself. The only problem was she was not in love with him. Sure, she was very attracted to him but she needed to be in love before she could surrender herself to Sam fully. Could she fall in love with him? It was possible to fall for him, right? She would be living with him for a year and she was bound to get attached living in such close proximity of him. The biggest question being; could she trust Sam not to break her heart when she does fall in love with him?

She had experienced heartbreak with Shane. She had given her heart to him and he had broken it into a thousand pieces; all because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Shane had blamed her for his unfaithfulness. He accused her of not being sexy enough for him. He said that if she had dressed sexier and had given 'it up' to him more often, then he would have never cheated on her. His statement had shattered her self-confidence. For the longest time she blamed herself for the failure of her relationship but when she got to college it was like the blindfold that had been blinding her was lifted. She knew that what Shane told her was not true. She was sexy and intelligent and she was really glad that the breakup had happened. She dressed better and befriended a group of people who were both intellectually stimulating and fun. She never looked back. When she saw her ex-boyfriend again this past month, she walked past him as if she never knew him. It was true, she didn't really know Shane Tinsley and never wanted to have anything to do with that loser again. Her breakup had taught her a valuable lesson; no matter how much she loved a man, she could never fully trust him not to break her heart. Men were dogs, at least most of them were and they were not to be trusted.

Her musing was interrupted by Sam rising to his feet to make a speech. "I could not be happier to be standing here today. I have been waiting for this day for two years now. Waiting for the day that Mercedes would finally be mine and I am almost lost for words now that the day has arrived. Thank you, Mercedes, for making me the happiest man on earth. I could not ask for a better life partner." He helped her up and continued with his speech. "Before I finish I would like to give you something as a wedding present." He fished something out his pocket and presented it to her. From the look of it, it was obviously a car key. "I bought you a Mini Cooper. Your parents told me that you've always wanted one but refused to let them buy it for you. I want you to have it as a peace offering. For our newly found friendship perhaps?" He said in a hushed tone so that she was the only one who could hear his last statement.

She had always dreamed of owning a Mini Cooper but on her own accord and with her own money. She could not accept the gift from him. He was doing so much for her already. She did not want to feel even more indebted to him. She had to clear things up with him but not now. The conversation would have to take place after the reception.

"Thank you, Sam…" She said and then leaned in to kiss him chastely on the lips but Sam had other ideas. He grabbed a hold of her face and deepened the kiss. Parting his lips and licking hers, seeking entrance to her mouth. She wanted to resist but her inhibition was shattered by the seductive way his tongue was lapping at her lower lip. She granted him access and swirled her tongue with his; exploring the taste of him and almost exploding at the exoticness of his kiss. She could feel her body awakening. Goose bumps rising on her skin and her nipples getting hard. She was breathing unevenly but she was too lost in the kiss to pull away.

Unfortunately, Sam ended the kiss with a peck on her lips a few seconds later. "Now if you'll excuse us. I would like to dance with my beautiful bride."

"Sam… Kurt has not made his speech yet." She interrupted.

"Kurt, can wait…" He turned to Kurt and gave him a bright smile. "You, my darling, are going to dance with me." He kissed her on her nose and led her to the make shift dance floor when the music started.

She wanted to wait to talk to Sam about the Mini Cooper he had gifted her but she figured that since they were alone, she might as well broach the subject. "I can't accept the Mini Cooper, Sam. Don't get me wrong, I'm flattered that you have thought of such a wonderful gift to give to me but I really can't accept it. You're doing so much for me already. I could not possibly impose any further by accepting such an extravagant gift."

"I knew you were going to give me a hard time for buying you the Mini Cooper but I really want you to have it. You have to put up with me for a year and I think the Mini Cooper should be your payment for having to put up with me." Sam smiled brightly at her.

"But, Sam-"

"No but's, Mercedes. Will you please just accept it? You're breaking my heart by refusing my wedding gift." Sam stuck out his lower lip, acting like he was hurt.

"You're pathetic, Sam Evans…" She chuckled.

"But it's working isn't it? You are going to accept my gift…" Sam said with confidence.

She shook her head. "I never said I was going to accept it. I just don't want to make a scene here. We'll have a talk later."

"Maybe I should distract you later…" He wiggled his brows.

She rolled her eyes playfully and said, "Sure you will. You'll be too distracted by the pain searing through your balls that you will agree with me to bring the car back to the dealer."

"Are you threatening me, Mercedes?" He asked gazing into her eyes with an amused look.

"Am I making you shake in your boots?" She teased.

"Not even close, darling…"

The song ended right as she was about to give her reply, dampening her hopes of winning the argument. They headed back to their table where Kurt was getting ready to give his speech. "Hello everyone, I am Kurt Hummel, Mercedes' best friend. I love Mercedes with all my heart, she is not only my best friend but also my sister. Mercedes have been there for me since that first day in high school. I was the loud and proud gay kid that most kids didn't understand and avoided like the plague. It's ironic isn't it, I mean we are in San Francisco after all… Anyway, she befriended me no questions asked. She was there for me when I needed her and she wiped away my tears when my mother died of cervical cancer during sophomore year. I would do anything for her. I am happy that she has found a good man to call a husband. It really helps that he's stunning too." The guest bursts out in laughter at his comment. He then turned to her and said, "I just want you to be happy Mercedes and since Sam makes you happy then I am ecstatic for you. I love you girl. To the happy couple!"

She stood up and gave Kurt a big hug. "Thank you Kurt. I love you…"

"To the happy couple!" Everyone toasted.

Mercedes was glad to have Kurt in her life. He truly was her anchor in this sometimes cruel world. She didn't know what she would do without him. Although Kurt knew about the marriage agreement she had with Sam, he was still very supportive of her decision to marry him. He even told her that maybe Sam was the man she was looking for. Was Sam really the man she was looking for? She didn't know but at this point she was willing to give their relationship a shot with the exception of giving her heart fully to him.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam watched as Mercedes danced with Kurt. She was chatting and laughing happily with her best friend. It made his heart soar to see her so happy. He cherished her laughter and smiles. It made him want to smile along with her. She made him delirious with happiness and his wish was to make her just as happy to be with him. He knew that he had a lot of work ahead of him but he would not let negative thoughts keep him from getting what he wanted; Mercedes' love. He was convinced that it would only be a matter of time before he won her over and he was excited by the prospect.

"You really need to stop staring so hard. She's going to notice that you're in love with her if you don't stop."Mike said interrupting his musing.

Mike had always known about his love for Mercedes. He never kept his feelings a secret from his best friend. Mike had been there for him since day one when he finally understood that the infatuation he had for her was no longer an infatuation but full blown love. He was there to listen to his complaints and heartache. There were a few times when Sam wanted to come clean to Mercedes with the insistence of Mike but he chickened out every time. Maybe things would be easier if he had just told her the truth.

"Don't you think it's time she found out about my feelings for her?" Sam challenged.

"Wow, where did this brave Sam come from? I don't know how many times you've told me that you were going to tell her the truth but backed out at the last minute." His best friend laughed.

"Don't be a douche bag. Alright, I admit that I was a coward but maybe if I told her now, things might be easier on me. She might not return my feelings but if I told her the truth she would know that I didn't just marry her to help her with her father's company. I'm doing it also because I love her." His gazed returned to his wife who was still happily dancing with Kurt.

"You should do that. Tell her how you feel, that way she doesn't misconstrue your intention." His best friend paused for a bit then said, "So when are you going to tell her?" Mike's question made him look back at his friend.

"Tonight. I'll tell her tonight." He answered determinedly. He had to tell her sooner or later and he figured that telling her sooner would be the best option. He knew that he was taking a huge risk by telling her but he had to do it. He had to tell her what was in his heart and if she rejected his love, he'd work at making her fall in love with him.

* * *

Mercedes was surprisingly having a great time at her wedding reception. It was half past 7 and she was sharing a dance with Kurt without a care in the world. She wished that every day was like today, where everyone was happy and smiling. She guessed in a way she could thank Sam for today. If he hadn't proposed she wouldn't be standing here dancing with her best friend. Aside from the whole marriage of convenience thing, Sam was proving to be quite the gentleman. Well, except for that kiss of course. That was un-gentleman like of him but no matter how she saw the situation, it still brought tingling sensations to her skin. Then there's the matter of him buying her a Mini Cooper, that was really sweet of him to do that and although she was tempted to accept it, she simply cannot do it. She was a proud woman and she refused to accept something that she had not worked for, Sam would just have to understand her reasoning. She knew he'd refuse to take it back but she had to try to convince him.

"You look so happy today, Mercy."Kurt pulled back from their embrace to look at her.

"I am. Today turned out to be a great day. Thank you for being here for me, Kurt. You made today bearable." She really was grateful for having Kurt in her life. He truly was the best friend she could ever ask for.

"Am I the only one who made today bearable for you or did Sam help?" He asked cheekily.

She could feel heat creeping up her cheeks. "Don't even go there, Kurt. Remember, Sam is just helping out my family nothing more."

"The way he's looking at you doesn't look like he's only doing this out of the kindness of his heart. He looked like he's ready to devour you…" Kurt nodded at Sam's direction.

She glanced towards Sam and saw the hunger that was clearly being displayed as he looked at her. She felt butterflies in her stomach, her thoughts immediately went back to their make out session at the limo earlier. Clearing her throat she answered Kurt. "You're crazy, Kurt." She laughed nervously.

"Am I crazy or are you crazy? Don't tell me that you don't see the way he's looking at you. That man is obviously in lust with you."

"Nothing is going on there. You are seeing what you want to see. He's just being friendly."

"I'm being friendly… He wants to rip off your wedding dress and have his wicked ways with you." Kurt pointed towards Sam.

"Don't point! What is the matter with you!?" She chided. She might be annoyed at her friend but her mind was reeling at the idea of Sam's interest in having sex with her. She wondered how it might feel like to have him licking on her sensitive parts and his cock plunging into her pussy. "Is it me or is it hot in here?" She said out loud.

"It's you… Wait a minute, you have a crush on him don't you!" Kurt flashed a lopsided grin at her.

She would probably be beet red if it were not for her dark complected skin. Thank god, for that! "Now I know you've gone crazy on me. I do not have a crush on him, you crazy man!" Does she have a crush on Sam? This could get super complicated if she was not careful. She wanted to explore the possibility of having a relationship with him but what if the unthinkable happens? What if she falls in love with him? God, all these questions was starting to give her a headache.

"Whatever you say, honey. I know you and I think you like your husband." He wiggled his brows. "If you do like him, would it really be that bad? Sam's a nice man and you have the advantage of being married to him. You could make this relationship work and be happy for the rest of your life." Kurt twirled her around before bringing her back in."Just go with what your gut tells you, Mercy. You should explore your feelings if you really do like him because from what I can see, it seems like Sam has feelings for you too. Just promise me that you'll think about what I've said."

"I promise…" The song ended, Kurt led her back to the table and kissed her on the cheek before taking a seat.

Sam gave her a lopsided grin and said, "You look like you're having fun."

"I did. Kurt is a great dancer unlike some blond I'm married to." She teased, returning his smile.

"You hurt me, Mercedes." He held on to his chest as if he was in pain. "By the way, I could dance. If I may say so, I think you're the one who can't dance. Holding on to me while you sway to the music is not dancing, darling…"

"Are you mocking me, Sam Evans?" She scrunched her brows. "I'm a hell of a better dancer then you. You look like a geriatric with a backache when you dance." She chuckled imagining the scenario.

Sam gasped and sent her a mocking glare. "I can't believe you just went there… If you think that you're such a great dancer then prove it to me."

"Alright, then. Let's dance…" She was about to stand up when Sam stopped her. "I thought you wanted me to dance?"

He scooted closer and whispered in her ear. "Not right now. Dance for me later. Naked."

Again, her body responded to his remark. What was it about this man that drove her wild with need for him? She didn't understand it but oddly, she didn't want to understand. She just wanted to feel. Feel his body on her, kissing her, and touching her. She blinked rapidly to clear her lustful thoughts. "I'll dance naked, if you dance naked."Why did she just say that? God, Mercy, what is the matter with you!?

"That could be easily arranged…"

He leaned over and planted a soft kiss on her lips. She looked at him when they pulled apart. He was smiling and his green eyes were shining brightly with mischief and lust. Lust for her. Kurt was right, Sam, really did want her physically. It was better than him wanting her love. She could handle his lust for her but she could never handle his love. She had gone long enough without love. She could survive her whole life without it. It was for the best, true love didn't exist. Lust on the other hand did. She had seen too many failed relationships to believe in love.

"I knew it. I knew you were a perv…"

"Only for you, darling, only for you…"

* * *

Sam was looking forward to going back to his penthouse for the night. He was tired and horny as hell, all thanks to Mercedes, but his parents had another plan in mind. They had rented the honeymoon suite for him and Mercedes at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the bay area. Both of them were surprised by the gift. After all, his parents knew that this was a marriage of convenience. He was very suspicious of his mom and Andrea Jones knowing about his love for Mercedes though. While they were making arrangements for the wedding, his mom and Andrea would drop subtle hints at him; implying that they knew about his true intentions towards Mercedes. Oh yes, they were definitely trying to get their now married children to fall in love with each other or at least Mercedes to fall in love with him. He didn't need coaxing, his beautiful wife on the other hand, might need someone to push her before she realizes that she was in love with him.

"This is awkward…" Mercedes muttered under her breath.

They were once again in the limo, heading towards the city. Mercedes was sitting by the limo door, looking out the window which was rather pointless, seeing as the window was tinted and it was dark outside. She was definitely trying to avoid him. "What is awkward?"

"Us, staying together in a honeymoon suite for our wedding night when we're not in love with each other." Wrong Mercedes, you are not in love with me. I am definitely in love with you.

"They don't know any better, Mercedes. Give them a break. I think they were just trying to make us fall in love with each other. It's not wrong is it? We are after all married." He was about to tell her that he loved her when she interrupted him.

"I know they meant well but I don't believe in love. I think love between a man and a woman doesn't exist. There's lust but not love. People always end up hurt when love comes into the picture."She told him without missing a beat.

He was astonished by her remark. Did she really just say those things? "How could you not believe in love? Look at our parents, they've been married for a long time and they are definitely in love. Don't tell me that you don't see that?"

She took her gaze away from the window and exhaled deeply. "Love is an illusion, Sam. People just want to believe in it. What our parents have for each other is not love, its familiarity and comfort."

He was truly dumbfounded now. How could someone so beautiful both inside and out not believe in love? "Familiarity and comfort? Please explain to me how two couples who had been together since high school are not in love with each other?"

"They are comfortable with each other because they know each other but given the chance I'm sure they would walk away easily." She explained nonchalantly.

"How could you say that about our parents? Never mind my parents. How could you say that about your parents? They raised you and loved you. Do you think that the love they showered you with was faked as well!?" He boomed angrily. He couldn't believe that she was saying such things about her own parents.

"Hey, don't get angry at me for speaking the truth! I know they love me. I'm just saying that there is no such thing as true love between a man and a woman. The truth is true love is bullshit! They say those words to convince each other that they were meant to be together. When it comes down to it, we are all just animals and animals are not monogamous. They mate and then move on!" She screamed back at him.

He could see that Mercedes was angry as hell. Her nose was flared and her chest was heaving. He was matching her anger but he could also feel his lust building. He wanted to convince her that there was such a thing as true love not only with his kisses and touch but also the way he cared about her. He would do anything for her. He had to make her believe in love to win her heart.

"Argh! You are so frustrating."Suddenly a thought hit him, her last words struck him. She had been hurt before that was the reason why she was so convinced that true love didn't exist. "Who broke your heart, Mercedes? Who made you into this cynic?"

"Shut up, Sam!" She snapped then turned to face the window again.

"That's it, isn't it? Some asshole broke your heart and now you've closed your heart to the possibility of love. He cheated on you didn't he? That had to be it…"

"I said shut up, Sam!" She tried to slap him but he caught her hand.

"Did you just try to slap me, Mercedes?" He glanced back and forth between her face and her hand that he was holding.

"Yes! I hate you, Sam Evans. You're an arrogant son of a bitch!"

He kissed her to shut her up. He was angry and horny, all thanks to her. She was driving him crazy when she said stupid comments like not believing in love with that smart mouth of hers; the mouth that he was currently plundering his tongue into. She was beating at his chest trying to get him to let her free but what really amused him was the fact that her arms were pushing him away yet her mouth was kissing him back. Soon all her resistance melted away. She was tugging at his shirt and running her hands up and down his back. He laid her down and pressed his erection on her pussy continuing their kiss. She arched her back and swerved her hips; grounding her pussy on his erection and making him growl in lust for her. Their limbs tangled, tongues twisted together possessively. He cupped her breasts through her dress, palming and groping the luscious mounds.

"Please, Sam…" She moaned.

He detached his mouth from hers, drew down the front of her dress and proceeded to suckle her nipple. She was going crazy, tugging on his hair and arching her body to make him take more of her breast, his free hand was caressing the abandoned breast. He kept going, licking and nipping on both nipples until finally Mercedes screamed her release.

He kissed her neck and lips while she was coming down from her climax, when she was no longer shuddering, he said, "You don't believe in love!? Well damn it, I'm going to make you believe in it because I'm in love with you and before the year is over, I will make you fall in love with me." He was determined to make her his no matter what she thought she believed because he had no intention of ever letting go. Mercedes Jones-Evans was his and by god, he would make her love him.


	4. Chapter 4

Mercedes was still high from the climax that she had just experienced when she heard those words coming from Sam's mouth. Oh no, she didn't want to hear those words. They were like poison in her system. She was already trying to erase his confession/poison from her mind. How could he fall in love with her? They hadn't spent any time together in the past so how the hell could he be in love her?

"You can't say that to me, Sam…" She sighed, too tired to fight with him.

"Why not? I love you and I'm telling you that I love you. Make no mistakes, darling, you will love me…" He said determinedly. He was still laying on top of her, kissing her face and neck and stroking her hair.

She felt so wanted at the moment that all she wanted to do was stay wrapped in his arms. Why was he doing this to her? She had told him that she didn't believe in love. It was true, she really did believe that love was an illusion. He had been angry with her and had reprimanded her but yet he was still trying to convince her that true love existed and that he was really in love with her.

"Don't waste your love on me, Sam. You deserve better. You deserve someone who could love you back. Someone who could stay with you and be there for you. I'm not that person. I cannot love you, and in one year I will walk away from you. Don't make things harder by forcing me to give you what I'm unable to give you." She said softly. Her heart ached as she said those words. She knew that what she had just told him were true but why does it hurt so much to say it?

"I love who I love, Mercedes. There's no way around it. I've been in love with you for two years now. I don't think I could get you out of my system even if I wanted to. You're in my blood now. Your kisses, the way you touch me, the way you laugh, it's all imprinted inside of me. You're like a drug and I cannot get you out of my system. I don't want to get you out of my system."

He looked deep into her eyes before kissing her passionately again. Her body had never felt so alive, she wanted more of his kisses, more of his touch. Her head was telling her to push him away but her body refused to let him go. So she stayed there, kissing him, feeling him touch her body. They pulled away when the car came to a stop; signaling their arrival at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. Sam helped her to fix her dress and then began to work on his appearance. When they were presentable, he took her hand, and led her out of the limo.

"Hello welcome to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. How may I assist you tonight?" A cheerful red head woman greeted them at the front desk.

"Yes, me and my wife have a reservation for the Honeymoon suite here. It should be under Mr. and Mrs. Evans." Sam answered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Congratulations on your marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Evans. You two make a beautiful couple." The lady tinkered with her computer for a moment and then looked up at them. "Here it is. You're in room 2015." She lifted the key card and handed it to Sam. "I hope you have a wonderful stay with us…"

"Thank you, I'm sure we will." Sam said, kissing her on the cheek and ushering her to the elevator.

She kept silent throughout the ride up to the suite. She wouldn't know what to say to him. It was obvious that she liked his touch but she was not ready to discuss issues of the heart with him. It was too soon. What was she going to do now? She had to live with him for the next year and she could not ignore him forever. To get her mind out of the messy predicament, she focused her attention at the room. Overlooking the San Francisco bay, the view from the suite was amazing. There was a king sized bed with white sheets and canopy in the middle of the room. She gulped when she saw rose petals strewn in the middle of the bed; making two hearts. There was champagne, chocolates, and strawberries on top of the room service trolley. Everything about the room screams romance and love.

"I'm so screwed…" She whispered to herself.

"What's that?" Sam asked beside her. She didn't realize that he was standing so close to her.

"Oh nothing. I said this room is beautiful." She answered quickly. "I'm going to go take a shower now." She rushed away from him, grabbing the overnight bag that her mom had packed for her. She let out a sigh once the bathroom door was locked. Dropping the bag on the floor, she began to undress. She groaned when she realized that the wedding dress was fastened by buttons at the back. She tried to unbutton the dress but couldn't. "Argh! This is so frustrating." She said to herself.

KNOCK KNOCK.

Her vision immediately went to the door. "Mercedes, are you ok in there?"

_Oh no, I don't need this right now…_ "Yes, Sam, I'm alright." She went back to the buttons but it was no use, she needed someone to help her get out of the stupid dress and the only person around was Sam. _Great, could my night be anymore screwed up?_ Clearing her throat she called out. "Sam, I think I may need your help with the buttons on my dress.

"Yeah, just let me in…" He replied, jiggling the door knob.

"Give me a moment." She looked in the mirror and stared at herself. _You can do this, Mercy._ She moved slowly to unlock the door. Sam was smiling when she opened the door.

He walked in and said, "Turn around."

She turned around, her eyes closing on its own accord as she felt him slowly unbuttoning her dress. Her breath hitched when his fingers grazed her skin. She licked her parched lips, at the same time, trying to breathe normally. It was hard to relax when an incredibly sexy man was standing behind her, undressing her.

"Done…" He said all too soon.

She faced him, holding the front of her dress to her chest, and said. "Thank you, Sam…" She noticed that he looked uncomfortable and his face was red. He was also not making eye contact with her. Sam left before she could ask him what was wrong. She locked the door again, stripped naked and headed into the shower.

After her shower, she picked up the overnight bag from the floor and began to rummage through it. Her mom had packed: her makeup, toiletries, khaki colored slacks, a white silk blouse, a pair of strappy sandals, her undergarments and to her horrified surprise, a white nightgown that left nothing to the imagination. "I'm going to kill her!"

She examined the nightgown and her anger grew. The nightgown was long and had floral designs on it, the only problem was that the material was so sheer that she might as well be sleeping naked. What was she going to do? She can't sleep in the buff and she can't walk out of the bathroom in that nightgown. Sam was going to think that she was trying to seduce him. There has got to be a robe she could wear. She looked around but saw none. "What kind of a hotel doesn't supply a robe?" God, this is turning out to be a nightmare. She had to think of something and think fast. She glanced around her and saw a spare towel, she got dressed, quickly grabbing the spare towel to wrap around herself and the other to wrap around her shoulders. When she was confident that nothing vulgar was showing, she brushed her teeth, headed out of the bathroom and quickly jumped on the bed.

"What the hell?" Sam said.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." She was fumbling with the towels trying to get them off of her body at the same time trying to get under the comforter.

"Whoa, that was what your mother packed for you?" He whistled. "Very sexy…"

"You're not supposed to see it, Sam." She glared at him. _Great, now he's really going to think that he's going to get some tonight._ "Don't be getting the wrong idea. We are not having sex. Do you hear me? Now, go take a shower. You stink!"

He moved closer to her, pushing her onto the bed, hovering over her. "I don't know, you turn me on in that nightgown." He fiddled with the straps of the gown, making her lose her breath. "Would it be wrong to want to have sex with you?" His voice was so low and seductive that she could feel her pussy getting wet. He planted a kissed on her lips and just when she was about to deepen the kiss, he chirpily said, "Ok, I'm going to go shower now!"

Sam got up and left the room, leaving her frustrated and unsatisfied. She threw the towels that was now by her feet on the floor and laid back down. She tried to get some sleep but couldn't. "The lord is testing me…" She said, looking up at the ceiling.

* * *

Seeing Mercedes' naked skin in that obscene nightgown was turning him on big time. He was hard as a rock and there was no way he could find the release that he wanted. "Why do you have to challenge me so, god?" He muttered. He knew he should be thinking about other things; like trying to make Mercedes fall in love with him. But he was distracted by the hard on in his pants. He could still feel the heat of her skin as he slowly unbuttoned her dress and the way she looked in that nightgown was enough to bring a grown man to his knees.

Sighing, he took off his clothes and stepped into the shower. His mind wondered to the scenario that had happened not too long ago. Her body was so soft underneath his and he could tell that she was turned on. If only he could satisfy the hunger that was burning within him. He knew that he could never get enough of her once he'd had a taste of her and he was right. Suddenly, a vision of her appeared in his mind. He grabbed his erected cock and began to stroke it. She was standing in front of him in that sexy nightgown, slowly stripping it off until she was left naked. He groaned at the sight of her naked frame and accelerated his strokes. She slipped into the shower, got on her knees and without saying a word she began to blow him. Her mouth felt great on his cock, it sent electricity right to his balls. His pumps increased as his imagination went wild. She swirled her tongue on his cock, driving his erection deeper into her mouth. She blew his mind when she began to moan and fondle her breasts while she pleasured him with her mouth. He tried to control his moans and grunts as he came close to his release.

"Cum in my mouth, Sam…" Mercedes said, she then went back to suck on the tip of his cock. She was looking at him, coercing him to climax. He didn't need much coaxing, with just three strokes, he came with her name on his lips. He was breathing heavily after that, feeling a lot better but tired.

He quickly rinsed off but when he reached for a towel, he found none. He got out of the shower and looked around the room for a spare but couldn't find any; the only towels left were the face towels and wash rags. He then remembered that Mercedes came out of the bathroom with two towels; one on her body and the other around her shoulders. Knowing that he had no choice but to ask her for help; seeing as he didn't grab his overnight bag and take it into the bathroom. He walked to the door and called out. "Mercedes, I need you to bring me one of the towels. I'm naked and I didn't bring my bag with me."

He could hear her giggling and a moment later a knock came. Making sure that his junk was behind the door, he opened the door and saw that Mercedes had covered herself from head to toe with the comforter. She looked silly but he didn't dare laugh for fear of angering her. She handed him a towel and his overnight bag and went back to the room. Closing the door behind him, he dried himself and put on a pair of shorts; not forgetting to brush his teeth before leaving the bathroom.

Mercedes was lying down at the far end of the bed. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight. "I'm not going to rape you, you know. You could scoot on to the middle of the bed if you want."

She shook her head rapidly and said, "No, no, I'm fine right here. It's comfortable."

He knew that she was nervous and it was cute to see her acting that way. She was normally so feisty and confident. The nervousness that she was showing made her human, not that she was not human, it was just nice to see her vulnerable for once. Without a word he slipped into bed, being careful as not to touch her. She was facing him but the comforter was draped across her chest.

"You know that you're going to have to share that comforter with me right?"

"Call the front desk and ask them to bring you an extra comforter." She said. _Smart woman._

"Nah… It's too much work for both me and the concierge. Besides, I prefer sharing one with you." He teased.

She arched a brow at him. "I don't like sharing my things…"

"If you have forgotten, that…" He pointed to the comforter, "is not yours. We are staying at a hotel so everything here belongs to the hotel."

"Whatever… I can buy it then. In any case, if you're too lazy to call the front desk and are afraid of getting cold, you should go put on a shirt." She challenged.

"Why would I do that?" He inched closer to her, "when I could do this!" He pounced at her, wrapping his arms and legs around her body. He was now holding her with her head on his chest.

"Sam, get off of me!" She yelled on his chest.

"But I feel comfortable…" He laughed, holding her closer to him.

"Do you want children, Sam?"

"Yes…" He could already imagine their children running around and driving them crazy.

Unfortunately, the lovely vision was interrupted when Mercedes said, "If you don't let me go now, I'm going to kick you in the balls and there goes you chance of having children."

He released her immediately. "You're mean, you know that?"

"Oh, I know…" She said giving him an evil smile.

Silence fell between them. For a long moment, they just laid on the bed looking at each other. The silence was perfect, he liked being able to look at her without seeming like a creep. She was beautiful, even when she was trying so hard to cover herself from him. From her brown doe eyes, to her cute button nose, and thick kissable lips, she was flawless in his eyes; if only he could break down the walls that she had built around her heart.

"Mercedes, about earlier-"

She placed a finger on his lips to stop his statement. "Can we not talk about this tonight, Sam? I'm too tired to fight with you. I promise we'll talk tomorrow."

He gave her a lopsided grin and said, "Alright. We'll talk tomorrow."

She smiled back at him and turned around. For a minute there, he thought that she was ignoring him. She drew back the comforter but was still facing away from him. "Here, we can share but don't be getting any ideas."

He chuckled and snuggled up to her, resting his chin on top of her head. "Goodnight, Mercedes…"

"Goodnight, Sam…"


	5. Chapter 5

Mercedes was exhausted from lack of sleep, sleeping with Sam had turned out to be hellacious. While he was comfortable sleeping with his arms wrapped around her and his erection pressing on her back the whole night. She was horny and cranky as hell. She tried to move away from his tight embrace but he wouldn't let her go. Sam had a death grip on her and it took a few hours before she finally fell asleep. What really upset her was that she was woken up a few hours later by some people arguing outside their suite. She tried to cover her head with her pillow but it was no use, she could not go back to sleep and to make things worse, Sam was lightly snoring by her ear. She sighed in frustration and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The clock showed that it was 6:30AM. Knowing that she would not get anymore sleep, she decided to get up and take a shower. It took a few tries before she was finally free from Sam's hold. She got up and headed into the bathroom, bringing along her overnight bag with her.

With the ache on her back and neck, she decided that a warm bath would help soothe her pains. She went to the sink to grab the lavender scented bubble bath that the hotel provided and started the bath water. Mercedes fell asleep in the bathtub and was woken up by an incessant knocking at the door. Realizing that she had fallen asleep and the water was now icy cold, she quickly got up and wrapped her body in a towel before opening the door. She had to force herself not to moan at the sight of a shirtless Sam when she opened the door. He looked downright sinful with his muscular arms and abs that you could wash clothes with.

"Hey, are you alright in there? I panicked when I saw that you were missing when I woke up." Sam said a little fidgety.

"I'm alright, I fell asleep in the bathtub just now. You were hogging the bed so I couldn't sleep. What time is it anyway?"

"Sorry about that…" He blushed, "It's almost 8 o'clock."

She eyed him one last time before saying, "That's ok. I'm going to go clean up now…"

She closed the door behind her and blew out a breath of relief. Why were things so awkward all of a sudden and why was she always so flustered whenever she was around him? Deciding to brush the questions aside, she drained the bath water, and turned on the shower. She was dressed and feeling fresh twenty minutes later. Again, her nervousness returned at the prospect of having to face Sam. She knew she couldn't stay in the bathroom forever but at that moment she wish she could.

"Get over yourself, Mercy!" She said as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her little pep talk actually helped to calm her nerves. Straightening her posture, she went out of the bathroom. She was a little surprised to find Sam missing from the room. Not thinking too much about it she walked towards the balcony.

"Morning!" Sam said by the balcony door, making her jump. "Sorry, did I scare you?"

"Yeah, a little bit." She chuckled nervously. God, here she goes being nervous again. Get over yourself, Mercy! Her mind screamed her earlier words.

"Well, I'm sorry about that." Sam said after a few seconds of awkward silence. "I ordered breakfast. You should eat. I'm going to go take a shower. I'll join you in a little while." He grabbed her arm, led her into the balcony and to the table that was packed full of breakfast food. "I didn't know what you liked so I ordered everything."

"Thank you, Sam... This is great."

"Well… Umm… I better go take that shower. You go ahead and eat." He smirked at her before turning around to leave; giving her a view of his cute butt.

Mercedes fanned herself with her fingers and licked her parched lips. "That man is tempting me…" She uttered. Shaking her head of her lustful thoughts, Mercedes poured herself a glass of orange juice and grabbed a muffin from the spread. She gazed out into the San Francisco bay while sipping her juice and nibbling on her muffin. What a beautiful city. It was truly a magnificent view. There was so much about San Francisco that she loved that she wouldn't know where to start. All she knew was that she wanted to live in this city for the rest of her life. She was so lost in thought that she did not realize that Sam had reappeared a few minutes later.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Mercedes glanced in the direction of the voice and saw Sam leaning against the balcony door, smiling at her.

"Yeah, very beautiful…" She replied, returning his smile. "You need to stop startling me. Thank god, I'm young and healthy. I could've had a heart attack and died on you if I was fragile."

Approaching the table, Sam laughed. "Well thank god, you're not fragile…" He pressed his lips lightly against hers like it was the most natural thing to do. Hell, it felt like it was natural to her too but she knew that it wasn't. She shouldn't be having urges for him. Her body wasn't supposed to want him and yet here she was letting the kiss happen.

"Sam, you shouldn't kiss me like that." She said when he had taken a seat next to her.

"It was just a kiss, Mercedes, it's not like I'm beating you. We did so much more in the limo yesterday yet you never complained. Why do you think that is?" Sam was sipping his coffee and looking at her intently.

"What happened at the limo yesterday was a one time thing. It's wrong Sam. I agreed to marry you. I did not agree to sleep with you."

"Be careful what you say Mercedes, I don't like being accused of something I have no intention of doing. I have made it clear that I love you. You don't love me and that's fine. All want is for you to give me a chance to make you change your mind. Just a chance."

"Why are you trying to make things difficult, Sam? I told you that I do not believe in love. Why are you so adamant about making me fall in love with you!?" She said raising her voice. Taking a calming breath, she decided to try again. "Look, Sam, I just want to finish the year in one peace without having to fight with you. Will you just let this love thing go and agree to be cordial with me? I'm not asking for too much, am I?"

"Alright, I'll make sure to never mention the love 'thing' again." He made quotation marks with his fingers and carried on. "But…" Uh-oh, why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this 'but'? "I want one date per week. We go out, we kiss, we hold hands. If you agree to these terms then I'll agree to never talk to you about love again. What do you say?"

I knew it. I just knew it. She knew that she was in trouble the minute he mentioned 'but'. What could she do? She was doomed if she does, she was doomed if she doesn't. She definitely had to weigh in her options. Which would get Sam out of her hair more, going out on a date with him every week or having to listen to him pester her about love? "You promise not to mention love again if I agree to go out with you?"

"Yes, although I give you no guarantees that you won't fall in love with me after we spend time together. It's bound to happen, you will fall in love with me." He sat there eyeing her with a smug smile on his face. She was not a violent person but at that moment she felt like smacking him upside the head to get that smirk off his face.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're too cocky for your own good?" She asked arching a brow.

"I'm not cocky. I'm confident. Anyway, stop trying to avoid the question. Are you going to agree to these terms or not?"

"Fine, I'll do it but no sex. You can hold my hand, kiss me but you can never have sex with me." Ha! I finally have the upper hand. Top that Sam Evans! She flashed him her most innocent smile and said, "So what do you say Sam, are we doing this?"

"You've got a deal and the first date is today so I get to kiss you whenever I want." He returned triumphantly.

She rolled her eyes and said, "Fine…"

"You could show some enthusiasm, you know…"

"You're getting a date what else do you want from me?" She answered with an irritated tone.

"A smile would be nice. You look beautiful when you smile" He pointed to her face and continued to say, "That scowl that you have on your face right now, makes you look like a witch."

Mercedes gasped, she couldn't believe that he would say that she looked like a witch. "You better take that back Samuel Evans…" She warned.

"Or what, you're going to turn me into a toad?" Again the smug smile returned to his face.

She got up, picked up a few pieces of ice cubes from her empty glass, and headed towards him with the intention of slipping the ice cubes into his shirt.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked when she was on her feet.

"Oh nothing…" She said sweetly. That was when she attacked. She got behind him and dropped the ice cubes inside his polo shirt. Giggling uncontrollably when she saw him getting up, wiggling around trying to get the ice cubes out of his shirt.

"I'm going to make you pay for this." When he advanced towards her, she made a run for it; out of the balcony and into the suite. "Hah! I have you now. What are you going to do now?" She was trying to get to the bathroom but didn't manage it, so she went to the bed instead. It was a bad mistake. Sam was now pinning her to the bed, hovering over her.

Once again she was out of breath, having Sam within so close of a proximity of her always made her lose her breath. Her heart was pounding like crazy and her skin felt sensitive. It didn't help that Sam was looking at her like he was starving and she was the last piece of steak. "Sam… Will you please get up?"

"Not without a kiss, and since today is date day… I have free reign." With every word he spoke, his lips came closer to hers until they were finally resting on hers. The kiss was unbelievable. It was soft and erotic at the same time. The little pecks on the lips soon turned into sucking and licking. He was testing her resolve which by the way was running thin and he succeeded in getting what he wanted when she threw caution to the wind; kissing him back hungrily. How a man could drive her so wild? She didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't want to stop feeling the high that she was currently feeling.

* * *

Sam finally got Mercedes where he wanted her; underneath him and responding to his kisses. It was torture sleeping with her last night. She was so warm and soft on him that he had to fight off the urge to dry hump her into the bed. Now, with her agreeing to go on a date with him once a week, it seems like his plans were finally falling into place. She still didn't love him but at least with the mandatory dates their relationship could move forward. The only thing that rubbed him the wrong way was the no sex clause. He could abstain from sex but it didn't necessarily mean that he was going to like it. Sam knew that he would have to make her fall in love with him soon because if he had to force himself not to have sex with her for too long, he was going to go crazy.

Shaking with the need to have his wicked ways with her, he shook himself from his thoughts and concentrated on the kiss. Abstinence was not an easy task when she was tugging on his hair and running her hands up and down his back as their kiss progressed. Sam could already imagine having sex with her. Their bodies tangled together, him pounding in and out of her wet heat. It would be more than wonderful, it would be magical.

Just when he was really getting into the kiss, Mercedes pulled away and said, "Sam, it's your phone."

"Let it ring." He replied not really caring if the world ended. He would die a happy man right now just as long as he got to go back to kissing the woman he loved.

"It could be important." She pushed him off and sat up. "You better answer it."

Huffing in anger at the interruption, he stood up to retrieve his phone. "What!?" He answered the phone rudely.

"Whoa man, why so angry?" It was Mike.

"What the hell are you calling me for?" He entered the bathroom and closed the door. "I was in the middle of a make out session with my wife so thanks for interrupting."

"Wow! I guess things are going smoothly with you guys, huh…"

"Not really, I told her that I was in love with her and guess what her answer was?"

"What?"

"She said that she didn't believe in love. Can you believe that? I could handle her rejection but what am I supposed to say to that?" Sam sighed.

"Wait, if she doesn't believe in love than why are you guys making out?" Mike asked in a puzzled tone.

"That's the thing. She doesn't believe in love but she believes in lust. She doesn't really want to kiss me by the way. We made a deal with each other-"

"What kind of deal?" Mike interrupted.

"I promised her that I would never again mention love to her if she agrees to go out on a date with me every week and she agreed." Sam answered.

"That's good. That should give you an in. You should have no problems making her fall in love you than. My only question is why are you two making out just now?"

"It's all in the clause. Today is our day. During our date days, I get to kiss her and hold her hand. It'll be like we're girlfriend and boyfriend. But, I can never have sex with her."

"Oh man, you are going to have a serious case of blue balls. Looks like you have to get reacquainted with your palm." Mike laughed heartily.

"I'm glad you find joy in my misery, Mike. What a great friend you are…" Sam stated, annoyed.

"I'm sorry man but I can't help myself. You have got to be the only man in San Francisco who has a wife but have to resort to jerking off because your wife won't have sex with you." Mike guffawed again.

"Look, if you're just going to laugh at me, I'm going to hang up."

"Alright… Alright… I'll stop making fun of you. I was just calling to check up on you anyway. I had to make sure that Mercedes hadn't chopped you up into little pieces and fed you to the fishes."

It was Sam's turn to laugh. "Oh, you know me too well, Mike. No, so far I'm still here and Mercedes have yet to murder me."

"Well I better go. I don't want to interrupt your honeymoon. Oh and Sam…"

"What now…"

"She'll fall in love with you. Be patient with her. Just show her the Sam Evans that I know and love and she will not be able to resist you."

Sam smiled and said, "Thanks man, I really appreciate your support in this."

"No problem man, and oh, get in all the kisses and groping you can because you'll need it when you are choking the chicken." Mike laughed again.

"Ha ha… Very funny." Sam mocked.

"Bye man and remember what I said about giving her time."

"Yeah, I will. Bye Mike." He disconnected the called and went back into the suite.

Mercedes was going through her belongings in her overnight bag when he entered. He approached and sat next to her on the bed. "Sorry about that."

"It's ok… Who was it by the way?" She smiled at him. Her smile always seemed to make him feel special and loved. It was too bad that she was not really in love with him.

"It was Mike. He just wanted to make sure that you hadn't killed me and thrown me into the San Francisco bay." He smirked.

"You'd have to do a lot before I'd resort to such violence so he needn't worry." She placed the overnight bag on the floor and said, "So since today is date day what did you want to do?"

"How about we head back to my place to leave our baggage and pick up my car and then decide from there? Does the plan sound good to you?"

"Sounds good to me…"

He was excited about their first date together. People usually dated first before they get married but he was doing things backwards. Nothing was going to deter him though. Like Mike said, all he needed to do was give her time. When the time was right she would fall in love with him. Sam just hoped that the love would come sooner rather than later.


	6. Chapter 6

After dropping by his place and picking up his car, they were finally on their way to start their date; their first stop, the movies. He wanted to suggest something more romantic like a nice dinner on his private yacht but decided not to push his luck. Simple was good. Simple would be enough to make Mercedes happy. She didn't seem like the type of woman to be too impressed by lavish things, after all she did come from money.

"What kind of movies are you in to?" Sam asked trying to make small talk.

Mercedes shifted her attention from the passenger side window to look at him and said, "I like anything from Sci-Fi to action."

Sam looked at her with a shocked expression."Sci-Fi, really? I never pegged you for someone who watches Sci-Fi…"

"I see… So what type of movies do you think I watch? Let me guess, you think I watch sappy romantic comedies, right? How very sexist of you…" Mercedes said arching a brow.

Although she looked annoyed, Sam could tell that she wasn't. She was actually challenging him to debate with her and that (other than kissing her) was what he loved to do most with her. "Nothing's wrong with your preference but I always thought that women prefer romance to blood and gore."

"Not all of us like romantic movies, Sam. Did you forget that I don't believe in love?" Mercedes was surprisingly calm when she stated this.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, why not…"

Clearing his throat, Sam decided to get the question out. "Why don't you believe in love? Was it because you got your heart broken?"

He could already tell that she was uncomfortable with the question by the way that she was fidgeting but what surprised him the most was that she actually answered him. "I know you're curious but I can't tell you the reason. Let's just say that I don't believe in love for personal reasons and from a personal experience." She looked somber for a while but then her frown turned into a huge smile as she said, "And how would you know that I've gotten my heart broken anyway? I could still be a virgin for all you know."

"Nah… You're not a virgin." He shook his head and smirked. "I could tell by the way you kiss and touch me that you're no virgin."

"I find that remark rather offensive. Are you saying that I kiss like a slut?" There was a glint of mischief in her eyes the whole time she spoke to him. "I take it you've made out with a lot of virgins before? You could never tell Sam, for all you know I could be pretending to be experienced."

"I don't think that you kiss like a slut. I just enjoy the hell out of your kisses. You kiss like a wet dream. And to answer your second question, there's only one way to find out if you're a virgin or not. But I would have to have sex with you. Do you want to have sex with me, Mercedes?"

Mercedes swatted his arm playfully and said, "In your dreams, Sam Evans. But thank you for the kissing compliment. I really needed the ego boost."

Sam chuckled at her comment, he really did love bantering with her. It was refreshing to be able to outwit someone from the opposite sex. Most of the women he knew didn't care to hold a serious conversation with him, much less banter with him. "Should I seduce you then?"By this time he had already parked the car but it would be such a waste to leave their conversation so he didn't say anything about their arrival.

Mercedes gave him an incredulous look before saying,"Do you really think you stand a chance at seducing me?" She moved closer to him, her lips almost grazing his. "Or should I seduce you?" She planted a kiss on his cheek, "did you want me to seduce you, Sam?" and then planted another kiss on his forehead. "I could rock your world…" She eyed his lips and slowly ran her tongue against her lower lip, "and you could teach me the art of love making."

By this point, his cock was so hard that he felt like he was going to cum at any second. Just one kiss and it would be all over for him. "Ye-yes, I could teach you…"

Just as Sam was about to kiss Mercedes, she pulled away. "And that my friend is how you seduce someone. We're here so let's get going." With that she opened the passenger door and left the car.

Sam had to take a calming breath and adjust himself before stepping out of the car. He caught up with Mercedes and immediately laced his fingers with hers. "That wasn't very nice. You cannot seduce me and just walk out on me like that. Do you know how hard I got?"

Mercedes glanced at him, not letting go of his hand, and laughed, "Good, now you know how I feel when you try to seduce me."

He stopped in his tracks. "Wait… Are you saying that you get hot and bothered for me too? Why, thank you Mercedes. I think you just gave me an in on how to seduce you." He smirked.

"Again with the cockiness… Don't get too excited, Sam, I might get excited by your touch but our deal still stands. No sex, EVER! Now, let's decide on a movie, shall we?" She finished as she tugged his hand, moving them towards the ticket counter.

He wanted to respond but figured he better not. After bickering for five minutes on a movie selection, they finally decided on the movie 'Ted'. They chose it because it seemed to be a slapstick comedy that they both could laugh at and also because it would be starting in half an hour time.

"Would you like some popcorn?" Sam asked after stepping away from the ticket counter.

"Yes, please…" Mercedes answered, beaming.

He bought a large popcorn, two sodas and they headed into the theater to find seats. They got to be picky with their seat selection since the theater was almost empty. Finally choosing to sit by the back middle row, they took their seats and waited for the movie to start. As the previews rolled, Sam watched Mercedes, while she concentrated on the previews. Her expressions animated him, his favorite expression so far has got to be her smile. The way she curled her lips and crinkled her cute button nose never failed to make him want to smile as well. She was beautiful not in the traditional boring sense but in her own right and to Sam he could never find another woman as beautiful as Mercedes.

He could feel a blush creeping up his cheeks when she turned to him with an annoyed look. "Will you stop looking at me and look at the screen instead, you're creeping me out."

"Sorry but I can't help myself. Your face is too cute to ignore." He knew that the line was cheesy especially for a 25 year old man but he couldn't help himself, whenever he was around Mercedes, he felt like a teenager who had a crush on the prettiest girl in school. He was pathetic but when you're in love that was what happens and he was fine with being pathetic just as long as he had Mercedes by his side.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." She smirked and shook her head. "Now stop looking at me and watch the movie." Her attention went back on the screen.

Sam wrapped an arm around her shoulder; pulling her closer to him, Mercedes didn't say anything instead she leaned on his chest, getting herself comfortable as the movie started playing. He could definitely get used to their weekly dates. He just wished that there was a way they could do this more often instead of just once a week.

* * *

Mercedes had to admit that the date was turning out to be very enjoyable. The more time she spent with Sam, the more she liked him. He really was a genuinely good guy. Mercedes could do without his cockiness but that was a part of his charm and she didn't know if she would like him so much without it. Unlike some men, Sam never bored her. He was a nice to look at and was also a great conversationalist. Some men only talked about how great they were or even worst, sports, but that was not what Sam was like at all. He was actually really interested in getting to know her better; asking about her interests and making her laugh with his cheesy lines and silly jokes. To most women his jokes and pickup lines might be a little lame but to Mercedes it was endearing.

While they were on their way to the movie theater Sam had asked her about the guy who had broken her heart. The question threw her off guard, although she was tempted to tell him the truth, she did not want to tell him as it was not relevant to their arrangement, so she deflected the question. Shane was still a very sore subject. What he did to her was unforgivable and she did not want his past actions to ruin her comfortable friendship with Sam. She refused to let an asshole ruin her good time. Sam seemed to understand that she did not want to talk about it and so they went on to talk about other things. That was when the flirting started. Sam had commented about her kissing skills and also hinted that he was going to seduce her to get her to have sex with him. Instead of getting angry with him for his brazenness, she turned the table around, and showed him what real seduction would be like. She knew that she had won when she felt him breathing heavily and saw his green eyes darkened. Seeing his reaction excited her, it also made her want to reach out to him and kiss him senseless but she decided to do one better. She left him in the car and began walking toward the theater.

He joined her not too long after, immediately lacing his fingers with hers as they talked about her earlier actions. It was a weird feeling having a man hold her hand. It wasn't bad, it made her feel comfortable and she was not supposed to feel comfortable with Sam. She had to keep her distance but she was drawn to him and did not know if she could even muster the strength to stay away from him especially when Sam himself wanted her. Mercedes tried to tell herself that the love that Sam felt for her was not real. He was only infatuated with her because she wouldn't give him the time of the day but the more he looked at her with his love sick puppy dog eyes, the more her theory about his 'infatuation' failed her. She knew that what he said was true, he really did love and cared about her. The only problem was she did not feel the same about him. Yes, she liked him very much, he was kind, funny and not forgetting, incredibly sexy but she could not lead him on knowing that she could not return his love. She wanted to let him go so that he could find someone worthy of his love but her selfish heart wanted to keep him for herself even though she could not love him. What was it about Sam Evans that draws her to him? Why couldn't she just be friends with him without having any kind attachments to him? She didn't know the answers to her questions and all she wanted to do was run. Unfortunately, running was not an option and she could not ignore him because they were married and not forgetting the fact that she had to go out on a date with him every week for a year. At this point she had resolved to let time tell her what to do with the situation. She would not let the matter burden her any further. If Sam was right and she was just being a skeptic about love then she would have to face the truth when the time came; for now she just wanted to enjoy her time and friendship with Sam.

xxxxx

"So what do you want to do now?" Sam asked as they exited the cinema.

Mercedes glanced at her wrist watch, it was 5:00pm and she was sure she heard Sam's stomach rumbling just now. "How about dinner? I think someone is hungry and that someone is not me." She chuckled.

"That would have to be my stomach." He grabbed her hand and said, "Come on, I know a great place we can go to for dinner. It's only a block away so we can walk."

They reached the De Paolo Ristorante & Bistro, five minutes later. True to Sam's nature, the restaurant was posh. The establishment was split into two sections, the bottom part for regular dining and the top a banquet hall. They were led to a booth by a male hostess named Mark. Before leaving the table Mark said, "Here are your menus." He handed them the menus and continued. "Your waitress Mary will be with you in a little bit. Enjoy your dinner."

Sam was sitting right next to her on the circular booth, making the space a little cramped. She was about to move to the other side of when Sam stopped her. "Where are you going?"

"To the other side... You're crowding me, Sam. I need some space to place my food and drink and let's not forget that I need to eat too." She said, again trying to move but was stopped.

"I want you close to me. I like feeling your skin touching mine…" He ran his hand down her thighs, sending tingles up and down her spine.

"Behave, Sam…" She said, moving his hand away from her thigh and trying not to get too excited over his touch.

Sam draped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her towards him. "I'm ready for my appetizer." She looked at him like he was crazy until the meaning to his words set in. By the time she understood his meaning, he was already kissing her cheeks and neck. She was about to kiss his lips when a peppy voice interrupted them.

"Hi, my name is Mary and I will be your waitress tonight. What would you both like to drink?" Mercedes wanted to curse at the overzealous waitress for interrupting them but she calmed herself down when she saw how sweet Mary looked.

After the waitress left with their order, Sam pulled her into his arms, planting a scorching kiss on her lips that had her toes curling. They stayed that way for a few minutes until they were both breathless. "Sorry about that. I had to make sure that I got a kiss in before we get interrupted again…"

No need to apologize handsome. That kiss rocked my thought. "Hey, it's date night, you get to kiss me anytime you want, remember…" Oh yeah, her inner thoughts answer was definitely sexier than the real answer she gave. It didn't faze Sam though because he smiled at her and dove back in for seconds. This boy is going to kill me! He kissed her hungrily and she responded with the same fervor. It was really weird how hot he could make her feel just by kissing her.

"Sam… Sam Evans?"

They hastily pulled away and both look up at the person calling Sam's name. There stood a blonde haired woman wearing a blood red dress. She was pretty and looked like she came from money.

"Kitty! How are you?" Sam responded. He obviously knew the woman and by the way Kitty was looking at him, Mercedes had a feeling that Sam knew her very well.

"It is you… I'm great, Sam. I just moved back to the area. I'm a junior attorney at St. James and associates. How have you been, Sam?" Kitty said, holding on to Sam's arm and completely ignoring Mercedes.

"I've been great. I got married yesterday." Sam pulled her close to his chest and said, "This is my beautiful wife, Mercedes Jones." He looked at her with those love sick eyes again. "Well, she's now Mercedes Evans or Jones-Evans. We haven't decided on the last name yet." Stumbling on his words, he finally finished.

"Well, it looks like you got busy since we last saw each other." Kitty said in an unimpressed tone. Something about the other woman's demeanor struck Mercedes the wrong way. She didn't want to jump to conclusions but she knew that she had to watch her back when she was around Kitty.

"I definitely did." Sam said, kissing her lips chastely. "Mercedes, I would like you to meet an old friend of mine, this is Kitty Harris."

"Oh come on, Sam, we were more than just old friends. I'm Kitty, Sam's ex-girlfriend." She answered with a devilish smirk.

The nerve of this bitch! If Mercedes didn't like Kitty before she definitely hated her now. She could tell that this bitch was out to get Sam and there was no way in hell she would let a crazy bitch like Kitty sink her claws into Sam. "It's very nice to meet you, Kitty. I'm sorry but Sammy has never told me about you." She said, caressing Sam's chest and kissing his neck after her statement.

Sam was once again affected by her touch which brought a bright smile to her face. Oh yes, he's mine bitch! "She's just an old friend and a girl I used to date back in college a long time ago, Mercedes. Nothing much to tell…" Sam said shrugging his shoulders. Mercedes wanted to laugh when she saw how angry Kitty looked but she controlled herself. "So who are you here with Kitty?"

"I'm meeting up with friends but it looks like they're running late. Could I join you guys while I wait for them? It'll only be for a few minutes…"

Sam glanced at Mercedes uncomfortably before saying."I guess a few minutes wouldn't hurt… You don't mind do you, Mercedes?"

She wanted to say that she minded it very much but she stopped herself. "No, I don't mind…" It was a stupid answer and she knew she was probably going to regret it.


	7. Chapter 7

Kitty Harris was supposed to be having dinner with her High School friends at De Paolo Ristorante & Bistro. She was running a little late so as soon as she reached the establishment, she headed in to find her party. She looked around the restaurant and saw that none of her friends were there. Checking her phone to make sure that she had not missed a call from her friends, she opened her earlier text message with Sally and noticed that the dinner was supposed to be held at 7:00pm due to some scheduling conflict for some of her friends. She was on her way back to the front of the restaurant when she saw a familiar blond man kissing a brown skinned woman. She moved closer to look at the man and as she suspected, it was her ex-boyfriend from college, Sam Evans.

Sam was the first guy she had ever had feelings for. It was not love but it was close to it. They dated for six months during their junior year in college and broke up when she was seduced by a bad boy. That was the worst mistake she had ever made. Her relationship with said bad boy only lasted for a few weeks before he got tired of her and moved on to his next conquest. Kitty had never found another man who could treat her the way Sam treated her and for that she would always be regretful. After their breakup they stayed friends but their friendship was more of a passing friendship, and after college they lost contact completely. Sam was now a very rich man, running his family business, Evans Enterprises. He was also one of the most eligible bachelors in San Francisco. If only she had stayed with him, she would be enjoying the high life right now instead of having to work hard at a job she despised.

She should've never let him go, he was a nice man and even though he could be annoying with his geeky ways, he had always treated her right. Now, it looked like he had moved on to a chubby girl who didn't deserve his affections. From their short conversation, she could see that Sam was completely enamored by the girl, Mercedes, and to make things worse he was now married to Mercedes. What the hell was he thinking marrying someone so beneath him? Sam should be with a beautiful woman like her not a chubby girl like, Mercedes. What really grates her nerves was that the stupid bitch was flaunting Sam's affections by kissing him and being all touchy feely with felt like puking when she saw this. Kitty had made up her mind, she was going to get Sam back no matter the cost; even if she had to break up a happy marriage to achieve her goal. She always got what she wanted and what she wanted was Sam Evans. She was going to start her mission by interrupting their dinner. _Say goodbye to your husband, Mercedes. Soon he will be mine…_

* * *

After Kitty took a seat at their table, the waitress came back with Mercedes and Sam's dinner. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that you have another person in your party. Are you joining the lovely couple for dinner, miss?" Mary said after setting their dinner on the table.

"Oh no… I'm actually waiting on some friends to join me in a few minutes but could you get me a Martini while I wait?" Kitty answered with the fakest smile Mercedes had ever seen. Mary jotted down the order and left their side.

"So, how did you two meet? You both seem so happy together…" Kitty asked, feigning enthusiasm.

"I've known Mercedes since the day she was born actually. I still remembered holding her in my arms when my family visited her parent's home a few days after Mercedes was born. She was such a cute little thing…" Sam gushed, kissing her on the cheek.

Mercedes smiled and squeezed his hand that was entwined with hers. "You are too sweet, Sammy…"

Mercedes knew that she was laying it on thick by calling Sam 'Sammy' but she really didn't like this Kitty bitch. She had a feeling that Kitty was only here to snoop around on them to find dirt about her and use it to try to break her and Sam up. As much as she tried to convince herself that Sam was meant to be with someone else, she didn't want him to end up with a conniving bitch like Kitty.

"Wait… How old are you, Mercedes?" Kitty interrupted.

"I'm 20 years old." Mercedes answered.

"Oh wow… You're really robbing the cradle, aren't you, Sam?"Kitty's remark made Mercedes want to punch her in the nose. How dare she make such a rude comment. Sam might be five years older than her but it was not like he was some dirty old man luring her to sleep with him. He married her for fuck sake!

"Hey, she's legal… Besides, I love her and that's all that matters." Her heart melted listening to his words. She felt a little bad that she could not return the sentiment but she could always play nice and boost his ego a little.

"Thank you, Sam…" She closed the gap between them and kissed him; sucking on his bottom lip until he opened his mouth and deepened the kiss. Their tongues swirled around together, eliciting a moan from Sam. Her hands slipped up and rested on the nape of his neck. He pulled her closer and planted his large hands on her; one buried in her hair and the other on the small of her back. His kisses were making her burn for more of his touch. Her nipples were hard and her pussy was throbbing and creaming like crazy. All she wanted at that moment was for him to keep touching and kissing her until she climaxed, Kitty be damned. The couple was so engrossed in their hot make out session that they didn't see Kitty rolling her eyes and almost stomping her feet in anger. They only pulled away after they heard her clearing her throat loudly. Mercedes look into Sam's eyes and saw the same desire that was currently travelling through her body. He eyed her lips and gave her a last lingering kiss before finally pulling away.

"Sorry about that… Where were we?" Sam stated as she leaned on him, feeling the warmth of his chest and the rapid beating of his heart on her cheek.

"We were talking about how young your wife is before you decided to forsake our conversation and make out with her." Kitty said with an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry, Kitty, I guess you wouldn't understand how Sam and I feel. But could you blame me though? My husband is sexy as hell and I just can't seem to keep my hands off him…" To piss off Kitty even more Mercedes nibbled on Sam's neck. She could hear Sam mumble 'Oh god…' and grip her thigh as she laved on the skin of his neck.

Kitty side eyed her and began to fiddle with her phone. "Well as much as I have enjoyed this little meeting, I do have to go and join my friends. It was really nice to see you again Sam and you too, Mercedes." She said the last part with malice. "Maybe we should have lunch together sometime, Sam."

"Nice to see you too, Kitty…" Sam didn't acknowledge Kitty's request for lunch but gave her a quick wave as she left the table.

Mercedes wanted to say 'Goodbye and don't let the door hit you in the ass, you basic bitch.' But she kept silent and waved at the blonde bimbo with the sweetest smile she could muster.

"So did you mean what you said?" Sam asked when they were finally alone again.

"Mean what I said about what?" Mercedes asked back, confused.

"That I'm sexy as hell and that you can't keep your hands off me." He replied with a sexy smirk.

_Oh hell yes!_ But of course she didn't say that. Sam would probably rip off her clothes right there in the middle of the restaurant and fuck her till kingdom come if she were to say that; not that she would have minded with the way she was feeling right now. "You are sexy but the keeping my hands off you part was a complete lie. I was just saying it to shut Kitty up."

"So you're just saying it because you're jealous of Kitty right?"

"Yes. Wait- what? No… Of course I'm not jealous of Kitty. Why would I be?" She answered, suddenly feeling flustered.

Sam leaned back and smiled, "It's ok to be jealous, you know. I am after all very sexy…" He said cockily.

Mercedes smiled and moved closer to him until her lips were close to his ear. "You wanna know what's really sexy?" Sam gulped and nodded. "You shutting up and letting me eat."

She kissed him on the cheek and started eating her dinner.

"Meanie…" Sam huffed.

She just chuckled and pretended not to hear his comment.

* * *

Sam didn't expect to see his ex-girlfriend, Kitty, ever again. He sure as hell didn't expect to see her while he was on a date with, Mercedes. He never really understood why he dated her to begin with. Sam always thought that Kitty was beautiful and fun to be with before they dated, but after she dumped him unceremoniously for the bad boy on campus, he quickly saw that she was not someone that he wanted to be with and although they had tried to be friends, he could never see her the same way again. He was a little nervous when Kitty asked to join them while she waited for her friends to show up, mostly because he didn't want Mercedes to get the wrong impression about them. It all worked out in the end though because for some reason Kitty had made Mercedes jealous. Not that he was bothered by her jealousy, it was rather hot to see her so jealous. Mercedes had been extra affectionate with him; kissing him and driving him wild with her touches and sexy comments. Oh yes, he definitely had to thank Kitty for making his wife fawn all over him. That kiss that Mercedes initiated was hot as hell. It got his cock hard and his balls tight, if they were to go on with the kiss, he was sure that he would've spewed cum in his pants and embarrassed himself.

It was close to 10:00 pm when they got out of the restaurant but Sam wasn't even close to being tired. He wanted to spend more time with Mercedes and didn't want the date to end. "How about we take a walk or maybe have some coffee?" He asked, hopeful that Mercedes would agree with his request.

"Sure, why not… I could use a walk." She said after glancing at her watch.

They walked hand in hand in silence for a few minutes before Sam spotted a quaint coffee shop. He led them to the door and noticed that the establishment would be open until 2:00am. _Perfect._ He thought. They ordered their drinks and found a table by the window of the coffee shop.

Sipping on his cup of coffee, Sam said, "So, remember that game we played yesterday in the limo?"

"Twenty questions?"

"Yeah. You want to keep playing? I have a few things I would like to know about you." Sam stated staring at Mercedes.

She pondered over what she was going to say for a little while and then said, "Alright but I get to ask the first question this time. If you could have anything in this world, what would it be?"

"Easy… I would want your heart." Mercedes looked like she was going to say something but he stopped her by placing a hand over her mouth. "I know you don't want to hear what I have to say but I can't keep it inside. I've always been an impulsive guy and when I want something; in this case someone, I go for it, guns blazing." He uncovered her mouth and continued, "I love you Mercedes Jones, and I don't care that you don't love me right now. You won't fall in love with me in a day and I'm alright with that. All I want is to spend time with you and to get to know you better."

Sam knew that he was crazy to say the things that he had just said and as much as he was afraid that he might be pushing it too far, he couldn't make himself regret his words. He did love her. She was all he could think about. If he wanted a chance with her then he knew he had to be honest with her.

Mercedes glanced down at her latte for the longest time before she looked him in the eyes and said, "Look Sam, I'm not going to lie to you and say that I don't feel something for you. I feel the spark between us whenever you look at me and I feel like my skin is burning whenever you touch me or kiss me, but like I told you before, I don't believe in love. I don't want to give you hope that I could someday grow to love you because that would be a lie. I most of all don't want to see you disappointed or hurt. You deserve someone who could love you, Sam… Unfortunately, that person is not me." She stopped and began to look at her latte again but then she suddenly started to chuckle, "I'm sorry… I must really be sounding like a broken record by now."

"No. I like that you could be honest with me. All I'm going to say to you Mrs. Evans, is that I never give up. You may not love me right now but I will try my best to make you fall in love with me. I'm hoping that you'll be head over heels in love with me before the year is up so that we could stay together." He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

Mercedes flashed him a bright smile and said, "You, Sam Evans, are cocky as hell." She giggled and shook her head."Alright, let's change the subject. What is your question for me?"

"Who was the lucky guy who got to give you, your first kiss?" He asked, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb.

"His name is Matt Rutherford. I was in the fifth grade at the time. We were walking home from school one day when he suddenly stopped, pushed me against a tree and kissed me. I was so embarrassed… At least he was cute though." Mercedes stated, laughing heartily at the memory.

"Did you date him after that?"

"Whatever happened to taking turns?" She asked quirking a brow. "To answer your question, no, we didn't date. We were in the fifth grade for crying out loud." She laughed again. "Anyway, Matt moved to Ohio the next year and we lost contact." She shrugged and straightened her posture. "How about you? Who was your first kiss?"

"Quinn Fabray, back in Kindergarten..." Sam answered truthfully.

"Sam, you freak… Who the hell had their first kiss in Kindergarten?" Mercedes teased.

"Me… Don't you know that I'm irresistible? You, yourself admitted it earlier…"

"You know what… Just for that comment alone, you are not going to get a goodnight kiss from me tonight."

"So you're going to give me a goodnight kiss eh? Are you sure you're not halfway in love with me already?" Sam asked squeezing her hand.

"Oh lord… I think you need to get your head examined, Sam Evans." Mercedes answered, rolling her eyes playfully.

They chatted and bantered back and forth for the next few hours. It was close to 1:00am before they finally made it back to the house. Sam walked Mercedes to her room with a heavy heart. He wanted to share his bed with his wife but figured that she might be a little uncomfortable with the idea so he reluctantly showed her to the guest bedroom right next to his master bedroom.

"Well, here we are… I had a good time today, Mercedes." Sam said feeling a little nervous.

"I did too, Sam. Thanks for today." Mercedes leaned in and kissed him lightly; the taste and feel of her lips on his made him burn with the need to deepen the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pushed her onto the bedroom door and plundered into her mouth. Their tongues tangled together in a lust filled dance. Deciding that he was currently playing with fire by kissing her so fiercely, he let her go and back away from her with a heavy heart.

When he was at a safe distance away from her, he said, "Goodnight, Mercedes. I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Sam." She gave him a shy smile before turning around to enter her bedroom.

Sam sighed loudly once the bedroom door shut. He looked down and saw that his cock was at attention. It looked like he'd have to get reacquainted with his palm again if he wanted to get some sleep tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

It was the Jones' annual Sunday cookout and Mercedes was helping her mom in the kitchen with the last minute preparations to the menu. Like every year, her parents had invited all their closest friends and family. This year was no exception and a little special for them because this year, they were celebrating Mercedes' marriage to Sam.

"How are things going with you and Sam?" Andrea Jones questioned her daughter.

Mercedes rolled her eyes and looked up from dicing the onions. As much as she loved her mom, she couldn't help but be annoyed at her prying nature. "Things are going fine, mama. We're getting along great."

"Really now… I'm happy to hear that you are getting along with, Sam. Are you desperately in love with Sam yet?" Andrea said looking intently at Mercedes.

"What's with all the questions, mama?" Mercedes asked quirking a brow.

"Can't I be worried about my daughter?" Andrea returned impatiently. "Sam is a nice man and I know by the way he looks at you that he's in love with you. I just want you to be happy, Mercy." She walked over to Mercedes and kissed her on the forehead. "Ever since that Shane boy, you have been withdrawing from love. Don't think that I haven't noticed…" Her mom sighed and continued. "Look, I'm not trying to force you into loving Sam. I'm just asking you to give him a chance. He's a good man and I just want what's best for you."

"I know, mama, I know… To be honest with you, I do like Sam. He's a great guy. He knows how to make me laugh and we could talk for hours but after what happened with Shane…" She drifted off and thought about the hurtful things that Shane had said to her. It had been years since their breakup and she was trying to let the past go; especially now because she could see herself with Sam and she wanted more than anything to be able to return his love. But if she was honest with herself, she was actually really terrified of getting hurt again and she knew that if she let herself fall in love with Sam, there was a high possibility of him hurting her. Sam is not Shane, Mercedes! You cannot let a bad experience ruin your perspective on love forever. Her mind screamed.

"Are you alright, honey?" Her mom asked with concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine, mama." Mercedes patted her mom's hand in reassurance.

"I know that Shane is a sensitive subject Mercy, and we're not going to talk about him but I don't want you to live in the past. He hurt you, I know that. I just want you to be happy and from what I could see, Sam is making you really happy. I have not seen you smile this big in a long, long, time and I have Sam to thank for that."

It had been two months since their wedding and things were indeed looking up for her and Sam. Their friendship had blossomed in the passing months. She had gotten to know Sam better and from what she knew of him, she really liked the man that she had married. They spent a lot of their free time together; blowing off the whole once a week date rule, just so they could be in each other's presence. She felt more connected with Sam than she had ever been with another man. Mercedes knew it was crazy but she could tell that she was slowly but surely falling for her husband. Yes, she was scared of her heart being broken, which was why she was guarding her heart but she could not stop herself from falling in love with him even if she tried.

"Sam does make me happy." Mercedes smiled fondly. "He's a great guy but what if he breaks my heart, mama? What would I do then?"

Andrea turned Mercedes so that she would look at her and said, "Not every man will break your heart, Mercy. Shane was a boy who didn't know what he wanted. Don't let a boy keep you from theman that truly loves you. Take things with Sam slowly alright? You have another ten months to figure out whether or not you want to be with him or walk away. I'm hoping that you would stay with Sam but ultimately it's your decision. I will be here for you no matter what decision you make."

Mercedes enveloped her mom in a hug. Hugging her tightly, she said, "Thank you, mama… I love you so much."

"I love you too, Cupcake." Andrea said, using Mercedes' childhood nickname.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat.

Upon hearing the interruption the two ladies looked up and saw Sam standing by the entrance to the kitchen.

"Sam…" Andrea said, wiping at her tears. "What are you doing in here? Aren't you supposed to be helping Adam?"

"We just got done. I just wondered if you and Mercy needed help in the kitchen." Sam said sheepishly, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

That was another thing that had changed between them. Sam had started to call her Mercy for a few weeks now, with her permission of course.

"I think mama and I could handle the kitchen but thank you, Sam." Mercedes said gazing at her husband.

Sam watched her in silence for a few moments. His green eyes were so attached to her brown ones that she swore she could feel him branding her soul with just his eyes. "Alright then… I'll see you all in a few minutes." He smiled at her and walked away, leaving Mercedes and her mom alone again.

"I don't know how you do it, Mercy. If I were you, I would have melted at Sam's gaze." Her mother laughed.

"I don't know what you're babbling about, mama. Sam was just being helpful." Mercedes said trying to hide the smile that was threatening to spread across her face.

"No, Mercy. He was not trying to be helpful. He was looking at you like he wanted to tear off your clothes, throw you on this damn island and ravish you." Her mom smiled wickedly.

Mercedes groaned, she couldn't believe her mom had actually said those words. "You have issues, mama, really big issues. I'm still trying to forget about the whole nightgown incident and here you are talking about your son in law having sex with your daughter."

"What?! I was only trying to help…"

"Thanks for trying to help but I really don't need your help in that department. Come on, let's get back to work. The guests are about to arrive in a few minutes and we still have to finish making the salad."

They went back to work, all thoughts of their earlier conversation forgotten; for now.

The guests arrived not too long after, amongst those invited was her best friend Kurt, his boyfriend Blaine Anderson, Sam's best friend Mike Chang and his girlfriend Tina Cohen-Chang. Lunch was served in the back yard and unlike the years past where she sat next to her mother; this year she sat next to her husband, Sam Evans.

"So I heard what you and your mom were talking about in the kitchen just now." Sam whispered while they were all busy having lunch.

Mercedes furrowed her brows and looked at him. "What are you talking about? And don't you know that it's rude to eavesdrop?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop but you guys were talking loudly. How could I resist not listening in?" He answered sheepishly.

She wanted to be angry at him but because they were in public she decided to let it slide. She kept silent after that, opting instead to concentrate on her lunch. When the silence between them grew deafening, she broke the silence. "What did you overhear?"

"Shane…" That name made her whole body stiffened. Out of all the things he could have overheard, he had to listen to that dreaded conversation. Just my luck! "Don't worry, I'm not going to force you to talk about him if you don't want to, Mercy." He placed his hand on top of hers and squeezed it.

Mercedes didn't want to talk about Shane but she knew that if she wanted to let go of the past then she had to be honest with Sam and she was going to start being honest right now. "Let's talk about him after lunch alright…"

"Yeah, we'll talk after lunch." He kissed her on the cheek and they both went back to conversing with their friends at the table.

* * *

Sam was anxiously waiting for the big talk with Mercedes after lunch. He knew that this Shane guy must've done a number on her for her not to believe in love anymore. He thought that she might've changed her mind about her 'love did not exist' theory after spending the past two months with him. They had spent so much time together that he felt like they were closer than ever now. He hoped that the talk they were going to have would not ruin their comfortable friendship that they had struck.

CLING CLING

Sam looked up to see his dad, Dwight Evans and Mercedes' dad, Adam Jones, drawing the crowd's attention towards them.

"First of all, I would like to welcome you all to the Jones family annual Sunday cookout." The guests clapped and cheered. "These cookouts have been happening since me and my lovely wife, Andrea, got married." Adam stated looking lovingly at his beautiful wife. "It used to be just me, Andrea, Mary, and Dwight when we started the cookout, but as you can see, as the years pass by our guest list has grown. I'm so happy to be able to continue this tradition. This year we are especially blessed to have Sam Evans join the Jones family. The Evans' and Jones' have always been very close and I am delighted to have such a wonderful man marry my one and only daughter, Mercy." Sam glanced at Mercedes and saw that she was tearing up. He handed her his handkerchief and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Keep that beautiful smile on her face Sam and you would make me a very happy father."

Adam sat down and it was his dad's turn to speak. "I would like to thank Adam and Andrea for welcoming our son into the family. You know that Mary and I have always thought very highly of you and Andrea, Adam." Dwight said looking at Adam. "We have always loved Mercy like our own daughter. Sam was our only son you see, so when our best friends brought Mercy into the world, Mary and I could not be happier. We loved and spoiled that little girl from the day Adam and Andrea brought her home from the hospital. I can't believe how grown up and beautiful she is now. I didn't know that Sam had harbored any romantic feelings for Mercy until after he proposed. I'm so glad that he decided to marry her, I could not ask for a better daughter in law. With that said, Mary and I would like to give Mercy a gift. Can you two come up here please?"

Mercedes glanced at him looking lost. He held out his hand and when Mercedes was standing up they both started walking towards their parents table.

"What is going on, Sam?" She asked.

"I have no clue, Mercy. We'll have to wait and find out." Sam answered truthfully.

His mom stood up and spoke when they had reached her side. "Mercy, you know that we have always loved you like our very own daughter and I am so happy that you are now my daughter in law." She pulled out an emerald tennis bracelet and handed it to Mercedes. "This bracelet was given to me by my mother in law when I married Dwight. It's tradition in our family to pass down the bracelet to the daughter in law of the family. It has been in the family for generations and now I would like for you to have it."

"But I can't take this, Mary…" Mercedes protested.

"I won't hear any of it. You are an Evans now and it is my duty to make sure you take it." Mary clasped the bracelet on Mercedes' wrist and smiled. "It looks beautiful on you, Mercy."

"Thank you, Mary. You and Dwight really do spoil me." She joked. "I will take good care of this bracelet and pass it down to the next Evans daughter in law."

"You're very welcome, sweetheart. We love you very, very, much Mercy. Thank you for making Sam so happy and for making my dream comes true by being his wife." Mary stated while she wrapped Mercedes in a warm hug.

When they were finally seated at their table, Sam could see Mercedes holding back her tears; his arm automatically went around her waist. Kissing her on the forehead, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"Yes…" She said shakily, squeezing his hand that was on her waist. "I think I'm ready to have that talk now, Sam. Are you ready?" She glanced up at him waiting for his answer.

"Yeah… Let's go." They excused themselves from the table and walked silently into the house.

"Would it be ok with you if we talk in my bedroom?" Mercedes asked as they approached the winding staircase in the house.

"I don't know, Mercy. Talking in your bedroom might be really dangerous. It could lead to other very inappropriate things." He said with a drawl, trying to loosen the tense mood.

She stopped and turned to look at him. "Be serious, Sam…"

"Hey, you need to lighten up. You don't have to talk about this if you don't want to, Mercy. I'm not going to force you."

Mercedes closed the gap between them and embraced him. His heart felt full having the woman he loves in his arms. Although he was nervous about their talk, he was also very happy that Mercedes was finally opening up to him.

"I think it's time I told you about the boy who made me a skeptic about love." After holding each other for a few moments, she said, "Come on, let's go up to my room and talk." She grabbed hold of his hand and led him up to her bedroom.


	9. Chapter 9

Mercedes kept thinking about how nervous she should be feeling right now but oddly, she felt calm and at peace with her decision to tell Sam about Shane. Aside from Kurt, she had never told anyone about what truly went down with Shane. Her parents had a suspicion that Shane had cheated on her but she never backed it up because she didn't want her parents to have to worry about her. The funny thing about parents was; they always knew when something was upsetting their children and her parents were no exception. Without being told the truth, her mom and dad had helped her out of her misery and back to her almost normal self again. If she had to be honest with herself, she never went back to being normal until after she married Sam. He made her feel good about herself and for that reason, she felt like she owed it to him to be honest about her past.

Mercedes closed her bedroom door and leaned against it once they were both inside. "Umm… Make yourself at home." She said with a stammer.

Sam turned around to look at her and said, "Why don't you join me on the bed?"

Sam reached for her hand and led her to the bed. He sat down on the edge and she joined him; sitting next to him. After taking a calming breath, she began to speak, "So Shane… He was my first boyfriend, he was also the asshole who broke my heart and I want to kill him for making me feel the way I feel right now!" She was so angry at the thought of Shane that she began rambling. Realizing what she had done, she chuckled and apologized. "Sorry, you must think I'm crazy for going off like that."

"Don't apologize. You're angry, I understand... It's good to get angry especially after what he did to you. I'm not judging I'm just here to listen." Sam took her hand and began massaging her palm.

"Why are you being so nice to me, Sam? I feel like I don't deserve your sympathy let alone your love."

"Like I told you before, I can't help who I fall in love with and I'm definitely desperately in love with you. I'm trying my best to be patient and wait for you to accept my love." He said flashing her a soft smile, "and I'm not being nice, I'm just doing what my instinct is telling me to do, which is give to you time."

She stared into Sam's eyes in wonderment, how could one man be so perfect? Oh, she knew that he was not perfect, there were a few things about him that drove her up the wall but he was perfect for her. He was the light to her darkness, the good to her bad. He balanced her out, how could she not fall for Sam when he was so sweet and understands her so well? It was like he knew just what to say and how to make her feel better. At that very moment she felt like saying 'to hell with Shane, I want to kiss this man' but she knew that the talk was important and she had to go through with it.

"Thank you, Sam. Thank you for being so understanding and loving me even when I couldn't love you back. Shane did a number on me and I lost faith in love because of what he did." She paused, looked out the window and all those painful memories came rushing back to her. When she was ready to talk, she said, "I met Shane when I was 13, at church of all places." She laughed at the irony and continued with her story. "We had always been friends who I guess, harbored romantic feelings for each other. However, we didn't start dating until sophomore year in high school. He was my first everything and I really thought that we were happy. We even made plans to attend college together, he was going to pursue a football scholarship and I was going into the music program. All those plans got shot to hell one night during our senior year. We were invited to a party by one of his football buddies, at first I didn't want to go but because Shane desperately wanted to attend I gave in and went with him. We stuck together at first but once Kurt arrived, I went with Kurt to dance while Shane stuck with his buddies. A few hours later, I was ready to go but I couldn't find Shane anywhere. I went to look for him in each room of the house and finally found him in one. He was buck naked with a cheerleader on top of him, riding his dick. I ran out of the room and went home."

Sam had a heartbreaking look on his face. It was not a look of pity but of understanding. Somehow, he understood her pain and heartbreak. She could feel him embracing her tightly and planting a kiss on her forehead. "I'm sorry you had to see that, Mercy. No one should ever go through that much pain."

"Don't be… I am stronger because of this-"

"But you wouldn't have lost faith in love if it wasn't for Shane." Sam interrupted.

"I also wouldn't have married you if it wasn't for what happened either."

"That's very true… I think I should send him a thank you card. Do you have his address?" He said with a mischievous smile on his handsome face.

"You are such a goober, Sam Evans." She teased.

"That I may be, but you married this goober, Mercedes Evans." He replied with a smirk. Her heart thundered in her chest at hearing her new last name. She couldn't believe that she was truly Sam's wife. She still remembered being afraid of being married to him not very long ago but now she actually felt giddy when someone called her Mrs. Evans or Mercedes Evans. Oh, how things have changed. "Anyway, do you want to finish telling me your story?"

"Oh yes, sorry… After the party, I avoided Shane. I didn't want to hear his excuses so I made sure to stay away from him. I thought that I had succeeded until the girl he slept with approached me and told me that she was in love with Shane and that he felt the same way about her. He was only still with me because he felt sorry for me. My heart broke and I wanted to crawl under a rock and die but I still had to deal with Shane. I caught up with him after school that day and that was when he broke my heart even more. He told me that everything the girl said was true, he was in love with her and he was only with me because he felt bad for me. I asked him why he did it and his answer was, he was not attracted to me. He said that the only reason he was with me was because I was the safe choice." She was shaking in anger by this point. Sam must have noticed because he held on to her tighter and began to stroke her hair. "What really broke my self confidence was when he told me that I was not sexy. He said that if I had dressed sexier and had sex with him more often then he wouldn't have cheated on me. I wanted to spit in his face for that statement but I was too shocked at the time, so I did the only thing that came to mind, I ran. I never talked to him again after that. When my parents asked me about him, I told them that we'd broken up. I never once told them what he did but I had a feeling that they knew. The only person who knows about Shane is Kurt. I made him swear not to tell anyone and he kept his promise, he never told a soul about what happened. So that's my history with Shane for you."

* * *

Sam was angry beyond words after hearing about Shane. How could he treat Mercedes that way? She wasn't sexy? He must be blind as a bat and crazy out of his mind for not seeing how sexy and beautiful she truly was. Hell, half the time Sam had a hard time keeping his hands to himself because of Mercedes' sexy body. The urge to have sex with her was starting to be unbearable and that asshole thinks that she's not sexy enough? What a dumbass!

"Shane is stupid… The way I see it, it's his loss and my gain." He said jokingly. Mercedes shifted and looked him in the eyes. He could tell that she was holding in a smile. "I'm serious, he's got brain damage and is probably blind for not seeing how sexy, beautiful, and smart you are. How could he even look at another woman when you're around? I know I can't. Whenever you're with me all I could see and think about is you."

"Stop trying to flatter me, Sam. Flattery will get you nowhere." She said nudging his shoulder with hers playfully.

"Well damn…I was hoping that it would get me a kiss." He bantered back.

She just laughed and stared at him.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She said after she had gotten her laughter under control, her eyes still boring into his.

"Sure, why not…"

"I really, really like you, Sam. If anyone could make me have faith in love again, it's you." She told him with sincerity in her voice.

Her words were just what he needed to hear. There was hope for them yet and he was beyond excited over the prospect. At that very moment he had the greatest desire to kiss her. He had to kiss her or he'd die from the need to have her lips on his. With his mind made up, he hurriedly pulled her into his arms and kissed her with all his pent up desire. Sam could hear her gasp but she made no move to stop him, instead her hand tangled in his hair and her fingers massaged his scalp. Her actions only made him bolder, angling her body down on the bed, he deepened the kiss. His tongue automatically licked at her lips seeking entrance to the heat of her mouth. She opened right away and he plundered into her mouth, tasting her, loving her with his kiss.

Sam could feel his erection growing in his pants, he needed to bury his length inside her but he knew it was too soon so he did the only thing he could think off to try to relieve the pressure; he repositioned himself so that his erection was now between her thighs. He felt like he was in heaven with his cock rubbing on Mercedes' panty covered pussy. The sounds that she was making from his touch were enough to make him cum in his pants. He had to stop the movements of his hips to make sure that he didn't embarrassed himself.

"Touch me, Sam…" Mercedes mewled.

He could tell that she was just as horny as he and was enjoying their sinful act. Her hair was disheveled and her lips were swollen from his kisses but to him she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on.

"Where do you want me to touch you, baby?" He asked, kissing and licking her bare neck.

"Anywhere, everywhere. Just touch me."

With her encouraging words, he rested his weight on his right arm and worked on getting her breasts exposed; drawing down the straps of her sundress first and then unclipping the front clasps of her bra. As soon as her mountainous breasts were exposed, he drew one of the dusky nipples into his mouth and twirled the other with his fingers. He spent a few minutes worshipping her breasts until he was satisfied. Later, he went back to claim his favorite part of Mercedes, her lips. They were so busy taking care of their needs that they didn't notice that there was a figure standing in the room; shocked by what was happening.

"Oh my, Gaga!" Came a screeching voice, interrupting his bliss.

"Kurt!" Mercedes gasped. "What are you doing here?!"

Kurt turned around and said, "I was beginning to wonder what happened to you both, that's why I came up here. What I didn't expect to see was the two of you having sex!"

"We were not having sex! And have you ever thought of knocking?" Mercedes said while Sam quickly helped her to straighten up her dress.

"I'm sorry but when have I ever knocked when I come to see you here?"

"I don't know! But I'm a married woman now, not a teenager! It would do us both good if you learn to knock. And what the hell are you doing still looking away for? I am presentable now, you can turn your ass around!" Mercedes stated impatiently.

"You were half naked with Sam groping you. Did you seriously want me to watch you guys paw at each other? God, I think I have to bleach out my eyes now."

"And with that, I think this is my queue to leave." Sam said feeling a little uncomfortable at the scene unfolding. "I'll see you downstairs…" He kissed Mercedes chastely on the lips and left the room.

* * *

"Want to tell me what happened here?" Kurt asked with his hands on his hips.

He was bored and wanted to see where Sam and Mercedes had gone to, what he really didn't expect was to see them almost having sex in Mercedes' childhood bedroom.

"Don't get sassy with me Kurt, I'm not in the mood for that right now." Mercedes plopped down on her bed and answered him.

Kurt let out an exaggerated sigh and joined her in bed. "I'm not trying to be sassy but excuse me for being a little shocked to see my best friend who claims not to believe in love, almost having sex with her husband."

It was Mercedes' turn to sigh, she turned to look at him and said, "I know…I thought that I don't believe in love too but Sam is different. He makes me feel different. I feel alive when I'm with him and he really loves me, Kurt. I told him about Shane and instead of judging me he accepted me…flaws and all."

"Are you in love with Sam, Mercy?" Kurt asked hoping that the answer would be a yes. In the short time he knew Sam, he had grown to like the other man. Sam was patient, loving and overall good for Mercedes. He wanted what was best for his best friend and the best man for Mercedes was Sam.

"Not yet but I think I could grow to love him. I've never felt this way about another man before, not even Shane." The smile that was plastered on Mercedes' face convinced him that she was indeed falling for her husband.

Kurt squealed like a giddy little boy. "Oh my god, I can't believe this! You're halfway in love with him, aren't you?! I'm so happy for you, Mercy. I'm glad that you're finally moving on from that asshole, Shane."

"Whoa…calm down, Kurt. You're acting crazy right now." Mercedes laughed.

"Well, excuse me for being happy for my best friend." Kurt said with attitude but as fast as his sassiness appeared it went away just as quickly to be replaced by a mellow version of himself. "But seriously though, I want you to be happy Mercy, and I think that Sam is the man who could give you that happiness. I hope you open up to him and give love a chance with him."

"I will Kurt and you're right, I think I'm already halfway in love with Sam, I just have to make sure that he's not going to hurt me before I give him my whole heart."

"It's understandable but don't wait too long. I'd hate to see Sam suffer any longer." He said sitting up. "By the way, how far have you gotten with Sam in the sack? Did you guys do it yet?"

"I can't believe you just asked me that! I'm not going to answer that! And it's none of your business anyway…" Mercedes answered with an incredulous look.

"Oh come on Mercy, tell me! Alright, if you don't want to answer that question that's fine but at least tell me if Sam has a big schlong." Kurt figured that since he was already being nosy, he might as well go all the way and make his best friend blush. The question he just asked her definitely made her uncomfortable enough to blush.

Mercedes took the pillow from her bed and threw it at him. "I am not telling you how big my husband's schlong is! Get up, we need to go back downstairs."

"Why, so that you could make out with Sam in front of me? No thanks!" He teased.

"I'm leaving you… Bye, Kurt!" She left before Kurt could even get up from the bed.

The rest of day went on smoothly. The secrets between Sam and Mercedes had been revealed. They could finally move on with their relationship. The only problem was there would be some who would go out of their way to destroy the happiness of the newly wedded couple.


	10. Chapter 10

"Morning…" Sam said kissing Mercedes on the cheek. He was wearing a soft blue long sleeved button down shirt with a dark gray necktie tied to his collar and black pants. He looked sophisticated, smart and downright sinful.

"Good morning, Sam." Mercedes replied with a smile.

Today would be Mercedes' first day back in college, normally she dreaded the first day of school but today for some reason she felt excited. She woke up early this morning and after getting ready she ran down to the kitchen and made breakfast for the both of them. Served on the dining room table were pancakes, scrambled eggs, hash browns, crispy bacon, fresh cut fruits, orange juice and a pot of coffee for them to enjoy. The food was probably a little too much but she was in a great mood and when she was in a great mood, she cooked.

"This is great...but you know you didn't have to do this. We could've gone out for breakfast." Sam reprimanded. "You know, if you hadn't asked me to let go of Lupe then you wouldn't have to do all the cooking and cleaning." He continued saying as he was piling food onto his plate.

"I thought that we had discussed this? We don't need a maid, Sam. We're both young and very capable of taking care of ourselves. Your parents needed her services more than we did."

When Mercedes moved in with Sam two months prior, they had had a long talk about relocating Sam's maid, Lupe, to his parent's estate. After a few days of discussion and persuasion, Sam finally agreed to let Lupe relocate. Mercedes had always been the type of person who was independent. Her parents had taught her that and she was sticking to their teachings. Besides, they lived in a 3 bedroom, 2 bathrooms house not a palace, so the way she saw it, they should be able to split the chores between the two of them.

"What time will you be done with your classes today?" Sam asked changing the subject.

"I should be done at around 3:00pm. Why are you asking?" She looked at him quizzically.

"Good, because I will be dropping you off and picking you up today." Sam replied completely ignoring her question. "I thought we could have a celebratory dinner together." He smirked.

Celebratory dinner? Was it his birthday or something? No, it couldn't be his birthday because he had already celebrated his 25th birthday earlier this year. In fact the both of them shared the same birthday month. "Did I miss a memo? Because I don't get what we're supposed to be celebrating?"

Sam reached over to grab her hand and planted a kiss on her knuckles. "It's your first day back at in school. I figured we should celebrate." He shrugged.

"Now you're just finding reasons to spoil me." Mercedes joked.

"And…is that a bad thing? Is it wrong of me to want to spoil my beautiful wife?" Sam asked, running his thumb on the back of her hand.

Mercedes felt her heart thundering inside her chest. She should have gotten used to the attention that Sam liked to shower her, but every time he said or does something nice−ok not just nice but romantic−her heart soared.

"I swear you're going to give me a big head by the time I leave this house." She said without thinking. All of a sudden the playful air between them ceased. Sam let go of her hand and stared out into the backyard, while she felt like the biggest idiot for talking about leaving. She didn't do it intentionally, it just slipped out before she could even think about it. Truth be told, ever since their little talk at her parent's place yesterday, she was confident that she would not be leaving this house or Sam−ever. She really was falling for him but yet again, she had to make things worse by saying something so stupid. "I'm sorry, Sam… I wasn't thinking when I said that. I-"

"Forget it alright. I know that you don't want to be here and I'm not going to force you to be here if you don't want to." There was an underlying anger in his voice.

"No!" Mercedes placed her hand on Sam's and squeezed it. "I'm not planning to leave. I meant it when I said that I liked you. No one has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. I feel free and alive when I'm with you." She felt better when he focused his gaze on her, "and I don't want that feeling to end. I want to give our marriage a chance, Sam."

Sam stared at her face for a few seconds and the next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, kissing her with a deep hunger. She kissed him right back, letting out a moan in the process. This time she was the one begging to deepen the kiss. Her tongue slipped into his mouth as soon as he opened it. The memory of their naughty kisses in her childhood bedroom left her feeling hot and intensified her lust for him.

"Damn it! I want you but we can't do this now." Sam broke their kiss way too soon for her liking. "We're going to be late."

She grabbed his neck and kissed him again before he could say another word. He tried to pull away but she didn't let him go. In the end, they kissed until she absolutely had to let him go−only because they had to breathe.

"You're going to be the death of me." He groaned. "I'm going to die of blue balls before long."

She couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm sorry… For what it's worth, I'm dying for you to touch me too." She whispered seductively.

"Oh god…You're going to make me cum in my pants if you keep doing that." Sam said his eyes closed.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing…" Mercedes got up quickly before she could change her mind about attending the first day of school and jump Sam's bones.

Ooooo

Noah Puckerman, better known as Puck, was on the way to his next class when he saw Mercedes Jones standing in front of the campus. He had not seen her since the summer started and now that he was in her presence again, he could not be happier. Puck had always harbored a secret crush on Mercedes but she never seemed interested, so he never pushed for anything more than just friendship.

"Well hello, beautiful." He called out flirtatiously. Mercedes looked beautiful in a white and red floral design dress and black strappy wedged sandals. Her long hair was in its normal beautiful state, flowing freely with soft waves on the bottom.

Mercedes who was busy fiddling with her phone looked up and smiled brightly at him. "Hey Puck, how have you been?"

When she gave him a quick hug and a kiss on his cheek, Puck thought that his knees were going to buckle on him. "I've been great! How was your summer, Cedes?"

"I've had a great summer. You'd never guess what happened to me?"

Puck stared at her−from her head to her feet, when he couldn't figure out what had changed about her during the summer, he asked. "What?"

"I got married!" Mercedes showed him her left hand. On her ring finger sat a huge diamond engagement ring and diamond encrusted wedding band.

He felt his heart stopped, his heart broke when he realized that Mercedes now belonged to another. "Congratulations." He said with as much enthusiasm he could muster. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"His name is Sam Evans…" Mercedes grinned.

Puck could tell that she was very happily married and even though he felt like dying, he couldn't help but feel happy for his friend. Friend. He had never thought that the word would bring him such sorrow but alas it has−at least in this situation it did.

The name Sam Evans sounded familiar to him. Where have I heard that name before? That's right, Sam Evans was the face of Evans Enterprises. The guy was richer then the royal family and not only that, women clamor at him like he's some kind of prize they could win. Suddenly, Puck felt jealousy course through his veins. Of course he got the only girl Puck cared about. He was Sam Evans after all. What could Puck have to offer for Mercedes? Nothing. He was not rich. He was only a college student and not a very smart one at that.

"I didn't know you were dating, Cedes? And wow, you married the billionaire, Sam Evans. You did good, girl. He's a lucky man." Sam Evans was indeed a lucky man to have been able to marry someone as beautiful and smart as Mercedes. Puck hoped that the guy would be smart enough to never break Mercedes' heart or he might just have to kill him. "Let me know if he ever hurts you. I'll be glad to teach him a lesson."

"You're funny, Puck." Mercedes chuckled. "I'll take you up on that offer if that ever happens."

Puck didn't know what else to say to Mercedes after that. He didn't want things to get awkward between them so he excused himself. "Well, I better get going. Got a class I have to go to. It was really nice seeing you again, Cedes. We should have lunch sometime."

"Nice seeing you too, Puck. I'll text you about that lunch." She gave him a parting hug and a kiss on the cheek and with that, he left with his heart in pieces.

Oooo

Sam was having a relatively good day−lies, he was having a great day. He attributed his good mood to the kiss that he had shared with Mercedes earlier that morning at breakfast. Unfortunately, as soon as he drove into the SFSU campus his mood turned sour. As he was approaching the front of the campus he saw Mercedes kissing and embracing an unknown man. He shouldn't be jumping to conclusions but how could he not when he saw his wife acting so chummy with another man? By the time he had parked his car that man had already gone.

"Hey, how was your day?" Mercedes greeted him cheerfully when she entered the car.

She kissed him on the cheek and just like that some of his anxiety about the other man melted away. He was still tensed and tried to keep it from being known but it slipped out anyway.

"I'm alright." He answered gruffly.

He could feel Mercedes shifting in her seat more than likely to look at him−he wasn't sure because his vision was trained to the road. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad day or something?"

"You could say that…"

"Why don't you tell me about it?" She placed her hand on his to comfort him. Unfortunately, all it did was make him even more anxious.

Should he ask her about the other man or not? If he did would she be angry at him for acting like a jealous fool? They were just now getting into a comfortable stride in their relationship and Sam did not want his insecurities to hinder their progress, so he thought that the best thing to do was to leave the matter alone. Mercedes was entitled to have male friends, just like he was entitled to have female friends. She shouldn't be judged by the company she keeps. He sure as hell wouldn't want Mercedes to go bat shit crazy whenever he was with a female friend. Besides, maybe the guy was gay? A smile formed on his face at the thought.

"I'm fine, Mercy. Don't worry about me alright. Where would you like to go for dinner?" He told her, finally looking in her direction.

"Well, if you're sure you're alright-" She gazed at him frowning.

Sam softened his voice and laced his fingers with Mercedes'. "Stop worrying about me. I really am fine. With that settled, where would you like to eat?"

She still looked worried but in the end she smiled and said, "Did you want to try that new Thai restaurant a few blocks from home?"

"Sure." He lifted their entwined hands and planted a gentle kiss at the back of her hand.

They had a great meal that night. They ate, talked and kissed throughout dinner. This was the life Sam had wanted, he finally got the girl of his dreams−maybe not her love yet, but they would get there eventually. He had a feeling that it would be sooner then he'd expected. Life was definitely good.

Oooo

"Will Schuester…You are a pain in the ass." Kitty grumbled. She was handling his divorce case and she never resented the man more than she did now. She was a corporate attorney for Pete's sake not a divorce attorney but because Will was an important client to St. James and associates law firm, she was forced to handle his divorce.

"Miss Harris, Mr. St. James would like to see you." Her secretary, Emma Pillsbury said politely through the phone intercom system.

"Thank you, Emma." She answered.

What did he want now? Jesse St. James gave her the creeps. Every time she had to work closely with him, she would cringe. He was the type of man who thought that he could have any woman he wanted just because he was rich. He'd been trying to get her to sleep with him ever since she started work at the firm but she had not relented. The idea of having sex with him grossed her out−there was no way in hell that would ever happen.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. St. James?" Kitty asked once she was in his office.

"Sit down, Kitty, and didn't I tell you to call me Jesse?" Jesse smiled his signature smile that always sent chills to her body−not in a good way.

Kitty took a seat and looked up at Jesse. "And I told you that it wasn't professional to call my boss by his first name. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

She could sense that Jesse wanted to say something more about the subject but he didn't, instead he went back to business. "We have acquired a new account. A very big one at that. Evans Enterprises has entrusted us to manage their company and I want you to work with them."

"Evans Enterprises?" She asked a little dumbfounded.

"Yes, Evans Enterprises. Are you up to the task?" Jesse said interrupting her musing.

"You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to working for them."

"Good. Report to them tomorrow. You will be working very closely with Sam Evans and his right hand man Mike Chang, so I expect nothing but professionalism on your part. Don't let me down."

"Don't worry sir, I would be nothing but professional." She said with an evil glint in her eyes.

Kitty couldn't believe her luck. She had been trying to find ways to get in touch with Sam for the past two months and it looks like fate was throwing her in his path. She was very sure now that she was meant to be with Sam Evans. Now all she had to do was get rid of his stupid fat wife and her problems would be settled. In a few months, Sam would be divorced−she would make sure of that and she would be wearing his ring on her finger.


	11. Chapter 11

After coming home from dinner that night, Mercedes and Sam, decided to spend a little more time together. They opened a bottle of red wine, placed a picnic blanket on the grass and laid down side by side to look at the stars. They talked, laughed, and kissed until the bottle of wine that they were sharing was empty. Mercedes was definitely feeling the buzz as Sam walked her to her room.

Feeling bold from all the wine she had consumed, she kissed Sam when they got to her door. It was not abnormal for them to make out at the end of every night but this time around, she felt different. She felt like she wanted to consume Sam and let him consume her. Lust was driving her and she was letting it happen. She kissed him deeply, her hands holding him closer to her as Sam mashed her body between the door and his own body. His lips trailed kisses on her cheeks and neck as their make out session progressed.

"I want you, Mercy." Sam said breathlessly.

"Take me to bed…Now, Sam!" She demanded.

Everything was a blur after that, all she remembered was reaching for the doorknob, stumbling into the bedroom and then landing on the bed with Sam on top of her. She knew that Sam was desperate to have her but he took his time—removing her clothes in a painfully slow speed, then kissing every inch of her skin as he got the job done. When she was completely naked, he worked at removing his clothes. Mercedes gasped at the sight of her naked husband. He was like a sex god roaming the earth, sent to her—just for her to fulfill her sexual needs. His body was perfection—ripped arms and abs that she wanted to lick and grab onto while he pounded into her wet tunnel. Sam looked even more glorious as he was walking up to her—if she was a woman with a weak heart, she would probably have been dead by now—he was just that sexy.

Mercedes was having a hard time with her self control the closer Sam got to her. Her mind kept screaming for her to leap off the bed, pounce on him and have her wicked ways with him. But her heart was telling her to wait. To wait for him to come to her and make his move. And he did. As soon as he was in front of her, he gently pushed her onto the bed, settled himself on top of her and began to kiss her. The kiss like all the other kisses, was hot and filled with desire—desire, to have Sam bury his length within her and make love to her until she reached her long awaited release. She felt desirable in Sam's embrace, being ravished by him. Never had she thought that she could even feel that way but yet again, like always, her husband proved her wrong. Most of the time Mercedes didn't like being wrong but this time she didn't mind it at all. If being wrong felt this good then she wanted to be wrong all the time.

She could feel the evidence of his arousal rubbing on her wet heat and her lust for him intensified. She wanted him but at that very moment she didn't know what to do. It was like she was a born again virgin—although she was far from one. Somehow Sam could sense her insecurities and took charge. He latched on to her nipples, licking and sucking on them, one after the other, until they were both stiff. Breathing became an issue as his lips moved lower—from her breasts, he trailed kisses down to her belly, kissed and nipped her inner thighs and then finally, he was between where she the ached most, her pussy.

Sam was an experienced lover, he knew what to do with his tongue to make her squirm and beg for more. Oral sex had never been a big deal for Mercedes, probably because Shane was bad at it—whenever he would go down on her, she wanted to pull out her phone and play a game. It was just that bad. But not with Sam, with him all she could think about was how good it felt. How incredibly arousing it was when he would flick her clit with his tongue or suck on it. With Sam, all she could think of was the indescribable pleasure running through her veins. Mercedes could feel her climax approaching, it was so close that she could almost taste it.

"Please, Sam… I want you now."

When he heard her beg for him, Sam looked up. There was little hesitation on his part that she could tell which was quickly replaced by overwhelming hunger and lust. Getting up from between her thighs, he went to his pants in search for a condom then came back to her when he had it in his hand.

Sam was about to rip the gold wrapping off the condom when she said, "Lay down, Sam… Let me help you with that."

He complied right away and got comfortable on the bed. She wanted to get the task done fast but was distracted by his erection. His penis stood proud between his thighs, with a purple tip and veiny pole—Mercedes almost drooled at the anticipation of having it in her mouth. With desire ruling her judgment, she took him in her mouth, savoring the tangy/salty taste of his pre-cum that leaked from the tip.

"Oh my god… That feels amazing…" Sam moaned as she sucked him deeper. Looking up and straight into her husband's eyes, she swirled her tongue around his pole which elicited a half moan, half whimper out of Sam. Mercedes had never felt this powerful in her whole life, knowing that she could bring her handsome husband so much pleasure made her shiver with delight. This was what she wanted. She wanted to be able to please him and know that no matter what he was always satisfied.

"I can't do this anymore. I have to have you, right now!" Sam growled. He gently pulled her up to him—where she straddled his thighs and began kissing her hungrily.

Her juices were pouring out of her as she ground her pussy onto his cock. When she couldn't stand not having him inside her anymore, she lifted herself, grabbed his cock—sheathing it as quickly as her trembling hands would let her. Mercedes had to take a deep breath to calm herself before aligning his cock at her entrance. Looking straight into Sam's eyes, she sank down—taking him into her body. It was such a tight fit that she had to stop and adjust to the snugness.

"Baby, you're so tight…" Sam said, almost like he was reading her mind and then he kissed her as she rolled her hips, riding him gently at first then harder as their love making progressed.

They switched positions after a while, with Sam now on top of her, her legs wrapped around his waist as he moved in and out of her.

"Harder, Sam. I'm so close…" She begged wanting the orgasm that was building within the pit of her stomach to explode.

Following her request, Sam intensified his thrusts—slamming into her freely. She was about to go off the edge when she heard an incessant noise.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

That was when she opened her eyes and realized that she was having a wet dream, again. It had been going on every night for the past month. She had tried everything from reading horror books to masturbating before going to bed, but the dreams seemed to haunt her. And it was getting more vivid every time. Slamming the alarm clock button in anger, she got up and stretched before making her way to the bathroom. She showered quickly then got dressed for the day. Sam was already in the kitchen sipping coffee when Mercedes came down for breakfast. As always, her husband was flawless while she felt and probably looked like a drowned rat—all thanks to her wet dreams.

"Good morning!" Sam greeted enthusiastically at first then he frowned after looking at her no doubt sullen expression and asked, "Are you alright? You look…kind of…tired."

Spare my feelings why don't you, Sam. "I'm fine…" She answered rather annoyed.

Sam seeing that she had something on her mind, stood up, walked up behind her and began massaging her shoulders. "I know that something is bothering you. You want to tell me what it is?" His tone was gentle and loving—how could she not relent and tell him about what was going on?

"If I tell you, you promise not to laugh at me?" Mercedes asked apprehensively.

Continuing with his massage, Sam leaned over to kiss her on the cheek and said, "I promise."

"I've been having trouble sleeping…" She started to explain, "It all started last month. I don't know why but I kept dreaming of you and me in a compromising position together-"

"Wait!" Sam interrupted raising his voice. "Rewind that. When you say 'compromising position together' you mean that you and I are having-" There was a short pause and then a huge gulp came out of him, "Sex?!"

She turned around and got off her chair to look at him and gauge his reaction. To her surprise, he was smiling—either that or he's constipated but she was sure that it was a smile that he was currently flashing her. "Yes, sex. You don't think it's weird do you?"

"No, no, I don't think it's weird at all," Sam took her hand in his and kissed each palm. "To be honest with you, I have been having the same problem. Every night, I dream about having sex with you and every morning my balls get bluer and bluer."

His statement surprised her. Not at the part where he too was having the same problems but at the fact that he looked so put together every morning, when she felt like hell and probably look it too. "That's not fair… How is it that you still look like an Abercrombie and Fitch model while I look and feel like a hag every morning?"

"You do not look like a hag. You are beautiful. I don't ever want to hear things like that coming out of your mouth again, you hear me?" He looked at her intently when he said those words. Not able to say no to Sam, she nodded her head in agreement. When he kissed her lips, she felt her momentary lapse of judgment disappear. She knew she was beautiful, right now in Sam's arms and hearing him say those words to her only made her feel even more beautiful.

After they parted from the kiss, she said, "So where do we go from here? Do you think we should start having sex? I just want you to know that I am more than ready to go down that road with you, if you want to." Mercedes knew that she was being brazen but at this point, she didn't care. She knew now that Sam wanted her too so why should she act coy around him?

"I want you, Mercedes. I really do. It's just that I don't think that sex right now would be a great idea for the both of us," There was a tormented look on his face while he said this.

"Is it because I'm not sexy?"

"What? No! I told you that you are beautiful and that includes you being sexy too," Sam answered. He then lifted her chin so that she was staring into his eyes as he continued to say, "I just want our first time to be special. I want to know that you love me and I love you before we take that step. That way, I know that you're not just using me for sex." He chuckled at the end.

He was obviously trying to lighten the mood but instead of laughing or smiling she smacked him on his arm. "And what makes you think that I'd only be using you for sex?" She stated raising a brow. "You're not that sexy, you know…"

"Sure, I am." Sam answered cockily. "You just admitted it when you proposed sexy time with me…" He smiled cheekily trying to get a rise out of her.

Deciding that she was not going to play the bantering game with him, she said, "I may have proposed sexy time, Sam Evans but you still need my permission to get between my thighs." And with that she walked away, making sure to swivel her hips sexily from side to side as she made her exit.

She couldn't stop her laughter when she heard Sam shout out, "You need my permission to have sex with me too, you know!"

* * *

Sam walked into the office grinning from ear to ear that morning. With each passing day, he felt happier and happier, which he was sure had a lot to do with his Mercedes. "His Mercedes." He mouthed. He liked the way the words rolled out of his mouth, it sounded natural.

Smiling like an idiot, Sam did not see Mike approach him. He ran right into Mike, hard, almost knocking him over. "What the hell?! Watch where you're going, man!" Sam muttered, looking at his best friend.

"Sorry Sam, I just had to tell you something really quick before you enter your office." Mike said as he eyed Sam's office door nervously.

"What is it? And why do you look so nervous?"

"Uhh… Don't freak out alright, I just thought you should know that your ex-girlfriend Kitty Harris, is in your office right now." Mike said flinching as if it hurts him to say those words.

Did he just say that Kitty Harris was in his office? It couldn't be. Why would she be in his office? Dragging Mike further away from his office, Sam asked, "What is she doing here?"

"She's the attorney that St. James and Associates sent."

"Shit! Why can't they send some other lawyer?" Sam hissed. Pulling his hair in frustration, he scrunched his brows and continued to say, "This is just great, just when things with Mercy are starting to get good, I have to deal with Kitty. What am I going to tell, Mercy?"

"Wait a minute… Why would you have to tell Mercy anything at all? Mercy's never met Kitty, right?" Mike questioned worriedly. "Right, Sam?" He asked again when Sam didn't answer. "They've met haven't they?" Finally figuring out the truth when his best friend still refused to acknowledge his questions.

"Yes, they've met. Me and Mercy saw Kitty about two months ago when we were having dinner. And Mercy looked like she was getting ready to kill Kitty." Sam explained almost lifelessly. Things were bad enough between Mercedes and Kitty at that one meeting, he didn't even want to imagine how his wife was going to react when he told her that he was now going to be working with Kitty. "What am I going to do Mike? I have to tell Mercy about Kitty but I'm scared that it'll only piss her off."

Mike was silent for a little while—looking away from Sam as he no doubt contemplates what to do next. Then he looked at Sam and said, "What if you keep this a secret?"

Sam shook his head in protest, knowing that not telling Mercedes about this would only come back to bite him in the ass.

Raising his hand to stop Sam from saying anything, Mike said, "Listen, I really think that you should keep from telling Mercedes about Kitty. You said it yourself that Mercedes dislikes Kitty and I don't blame her knowing what Kitty is like in college." He cringed at the memory. "Think about this rationally alright. I just want what's best for you and I think that if you want to stay happy then you should zip your mouth about Kitty."

Sam nodded as he processed what Mike told him—his stomach in knots thinking about what to do with the situation. Although he didn't want to have to lie to Mercedes, he feared that the only way not to hurt her was to keep her from knowing about this. But what if she finds out? How would he explain himself than?

"Hey, you alright, man? You look like you're about to be sick." Mike asked, patting him on the back.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just have a lot of things I need to think through." Sam answered with a frown.

"Things will be ok, Sam. You just have to make sure that you keep everything with Kitty strictly professional. Do your work and go back home to Mercedes. If you can keep Mercedes and Kitty separated, I don't see why working with Kitty should be a problem."

"You know what. You're right, I'll just keep things professional between me and Kitty. Mercy doesn't have to know right? Yeah, that's it. That's what I'll do." Sam said smiling, trying to convince himself that that was the right thing to do. Although at the back of his mind, he had a bad feeling that going through with his plan was only going to hurt him in the end.

"It's settled then. Come on, let's go to your office and get to work. Kitty is already waiting for us." Mike stated as he maneuvered Sam towards his office.

"Mike, you'll stay with me the whole time right?" Sam asked with a worried tone. "I need you around me, man. I don't want to ever give Mercy any doubts about my love for her. If I have to work with Kitty then by god I'll make you stay with me the whole time. In fact, since by right I'm your boss, that is an order." Sam smiled smugly.

"Yeah, whatever boss…" Mike answered sarcastically. "You owe me big time for this." Those were the last things he said before they entered Sam's office to face the music known as Kitty Harris.


	12. Chapter 12

Kitty smiled wickedly at the plan she had to get Sam back. It was genius, she couldn't believe that she hadn't thought of it sooner. Even though she was anxious to get her man back, she had to bide her time and strike when the opportunity arise. In no time Sam would be eating out of the palm of her hands and his fat wife would be forgotten.

When Sam walked into the office with Mike Chang, she smiled brightly at them. She had to play the role of lawyer and friend just right if she wanted to accomplish her mission.

"Hello, gentlemen." She greeted both men politely.

"Hello, Kitty, I'm surprised that Mr. St. James sent you here." Sam said. He looked uncomfortable. She definitely had to fix that. She'd have to make him comfortable working with her if she wanted her plan to work.

"I'm his best corporate lawyer which is why Mr. St. James sent me." She responded, "Don't worry Sam, I'm a professional. I'm here to help you."

Sam lightened up after he heard her statement. This was a good sign. It meant that it wouldn't be long before Sam was finally hers again. Her demeanor was calm but on the inside she was smiling evilly.

Oooo

Relief washed over Sam after spending a few hours working with Kitty, it looked like she wanted the same things he did, which was getting her work done and nothing else. There was no flirting on her part, thankfully. She acted like any employee working for him. That was a very good sign. He needed their relationship to stay on the right track if he wanted to make things to work with Mercedes.

Mercedes.

She was all he could think about. Whenever he had a free minute, his thoughts would be consumed by her. If it was at all possible, he felt like he was falling even more in love with her. The fact that she was willing to give their marriage a chance had him floating on cloud nine. He knew that in time she would grow to love him as much as he loved her. Their chemistry alone convinced him of that.

He only wished he could tell her the truth about working with Kitty. He wanted to, more than anything because he didn't want there to be any secrets between them but he also knew that telling Mercedes could ruin what they have together. As it was they were just beginning to get to know each other and he didn't want to mess up what they had build. It was a tough choice but in the end he knew that the best thing to do was to keep the knowledge away from Mercedes. It wasn't really a bad thing wanting to protect her feelings right? If that was the case why was he feeling guilty about it? No matter, he had to do this. It was for the best. He just wished that the guilt that he was feeling would disappear.

Oooo

Three months later.

"Hey Puck, wait up!" Mercedes called out as she jogged to catch up with him.

Puck looked back and stopped when he saw Mercedes approaching him. It was still hard for him to be around her with the knowledge that she was someone's wife. Regrets were too little too late but he still couldn't seem to be able to forgive himself for letting her slip away. He should've known that a beautiful and kind hearted woman like Mercedes was not going to stay on the market for long and he was right. Now, all that he had was a broken heart. He'd deal with it. He was a grown man. This was just a lesson for him. A lesson to man up and not be such a coward when it came to expressing his feelings to the one he loves.

"Have you been avoiding me?" Mercedes asked when she finally caught up with him.

"Nah… Why would I be avoiding you?" He hooked an arm on her shoulder and walked them to their next class. "I've just been busy."

Mercedes looked at him skeptically before saying, "If you say so…"

Changing the subject, Puck asked, "Wanna have lunch after class?"

Mercedes looked at her wrist watch and answered, "Sure, I have an hour before my next class. What do you say to having lunch off campus? I've been dying for some of the pasta salad at Christina's Place."

Puck salivated at the mention of Christina's Place. The deli served the best pasta salad he had ever tasted. Before Mercedes got married the use to go there all the time but now that she was married things had change. She spent most of her lunch hour with her husband. He didn't blame her, she was a newly married woman after all. Hell, if he were married to her, he would want to spend any free minute he had with her too.

"Christina's Place it is." He said when they got to the classroom and took their seats.

Oooo

Mercedes might be imagining things but she was pretty that Puck was avoiding her. The reason for her suspicion, he was always running away or late for some class whenever she ran into him. Could it be because she was now a married woman? Maybe he was not comfortable hanging out with her any longer because of it? She didn't know. It just hurts to know that one of her closest friends was pulling away from her. Puck was the only straight male friend she had that she could trust. He was a gentleman and always went out of his way to make her feel comfortable. She regained her self confidence because of him. Without him in her life, she was afraid that she might be lost again.

She was walking to her next class which she coincidentally shared with Puck when she saw him walking ahead of her. She called his name and immediately jogged up to him to make sure that he couldn't run away again. After the initial awkward greetings, Mercedes decided to go in for the kill and ask Puck if he had been avoiding her. Of course his answer was no, even though she knew that he was. She decided to let it go for now and agreed to go have lunch with him when he asked. Somehow their conversation began flowing after that.

When class started, the first thing that Mrs. Baker,—one of her favorite professors—talked about was the year long exchange program in Rome. She was not really paying attention on the subject until Mrs. Baker called out to her.

"Mercedes, this would be a great opportunity for you. Would you consider going?"

What should she say? She wanted to go, she really did, but she had to think about Sam too now. They were married. Even though it was just a marriage of convenience or it began that way, she knew that she couldn't leave Sam. She was already halfway in love with him and to be honest, she really couldn't see going one year without seeing him. Okay, maybe they could visit each other once a month or something but a long distance relationship was not what she wanted. Besides, it was stated in her contract that she had to stay with him for a year in order to save her father's company from going bankrupt. No. She couldn't go back on her words. She was going to stay in San Francisco.

"Thanks for the opportunity Mrs. Baker, but I don't think that I'm going to be able to go." She turned the offer down politely.

"That's too bad, I was hoping that you'd go. Why don't you sleep on it and get back to me later. The trip is not for another two months anyway, so it should give you ample time to make up your mind."

Mercedes wanted to decline again but decided not to argue with her professor. "I'll think about it Mrs. Baker. Thank you."

xxxx

"So you really don't want to go to Rome?" Puck asked, when they were having lunch after class.

Mercedes took a bite of her pasta salad and contemplated her answer as she chewed on the best pasta salad she had ever eaten. After swallowing, she answered, "Yeah, I'm not going. I just got married, Puck, and I want to spend some time with Sam."

"Are you afraid that Sam won't let you go?" Puck asked, raising a brow. "You know…If he really loves you, he won't stop you from going. Besides, this is a good opportunity. Even I'm thinking about going."

"It's not like that, Puck. It's not that Sam won't let me go. It's me. I don't really want to go. I don't really like the whole living apart for a year part. It's not good for my marriage." She explained, hoping that her friend would try to understand her situation.

Puck didn't know that she married Sam for convenience. As far as he was concerned, she married Sam because she was head over heels in love with him, which she was on the verge of doing. They also presented that front when they were in public. Sam was a touchy feely kind of guy and he never pass up any opportunity to touch her—not like she was complaining. She liked his touch, no, she didn't just like it, she loved it. Whenever he touched her, she felt all tingly inside and of course the part that wasn't supposed to respond, responded eagerly. She remembered once, while she was making out with Sam on her bed, his body on top of hers, grinding his erection onto her core. His cock felt so good when it rubbed on her panty covered slit that she came screaming his name. She knew he felt the same way about her because while she was bucking and moaning under him, he came all over her crotch. He was embarrassed as hell but she thought that it was erotic and sexy.

"Umm, hello… Earth to Mercedes…" Puck waved his hand in front of her face to get her attention.

She blushed at the fact that she was day dreaming about having sexy time with her husband and it was much worse now because she was caught by her friend. This was starting to be a regular occurrence. For some reason she couldn't stop thinking about Sam, like the way he would stare at her when he thought that she wasn't looking, his beautiful eyes, the feel of his lips when he kissed her.

Before she got carried away again, she cleared her throat and said, "Sorry, I was just thinking about Rome." Lies. But he didn't have to know that.

"You thinking about going now?" Puck asked, completely oblivious to her lie. Thank god!

"I don't know, Puck… I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't tempted but I'm a married woman now-"

"Oh god, here you go again talking about being a married woman." Puck rolled his eyes at her. "Look Mercedes, I understand that you're married now but you shouldn't have to sacrifice everything just to make your husband happy. He's a rich guy, maybe you can ask him to come with you. He can work from home while you go to school."

Mercedes was a little annoyed at his comment at first but when he suggested Sam come to Rome it does sound like a good idea. Puck was right, she shouldn't have to sacrifice her life just because she was in love. Woah, wait a minute. She was in love? It couldn't be could it? They had only been married for five month which was not long at all. But you do love him, Mercy. You are head over heels in love with him. Her conscience told her. It was a little bit disconcerting she had to admit, but she knew that Sam would never steer her wrong. He had been patient with her all this time and she was excited to finally be able to tell him that she loved him back.

"You're thinking about it aren't you?" Puck interrupted her happy musing.

"Thinking about what?" She asked, a little lost as to what he was referring to.

"Asking Sam to come to Rome with you…"

"Oh that… Yeah, sure." She lied again. "But I doubt he'll agree. He's a very busy man you know."

"Yeah, I know. You've told me that a million times today." He jested, chuckling. "I do hope he'll agree to go with you. You deserve this, Mercedes. I just want to see you get what your heart desires."

"Thank, Puck."

Any uneasiness she felt earlier about her friendship quickly disappeared as they finished their lunch and continued chatting. Now all she had to do was go home and tell her husband that she was in love with him and tell him about Rome. Who knows, maybe he would go with her. This could be their official honeymoon. The thought about honeymooning with Sam made her realize that they still hadn't consummated their marriage, which led her to think about how good it was to finally make love to her husband. This was going to be great. She was going to tell Sam and make him happy. The thought of her husband being happy because of her widened her smile. Today is definitely going to be a good day. She thought.

Oooo

The day sucked for, Sam. Anything that could go wrong went wrong for him today. He was hoping that since it was a Friday that he would be able to come home early to hang out with Mercedes. They always stayed in on Fridays, she would cook for him and after dinner they would either play board games or watch a movie together and right before bed he would walk her to her room and make out with her until she came in his arms. He wanted to make her come in his arms again, damn it! But because of a disgruntled ex-employee he wasn't going to be able to do that. And the thought of it pissed him off to no end.

Everything was going smoothly in the morning but after lunch shit hit the fan when Mike and Kitty informed him that David Karofsky, the accountant that was fired a month ago for stealing money from the company was suing Evans Enterprises. He couldn't believe it when he first heard the news. How could he be suing Evans Enterprises when he was the one who had stolen from the company? He should've listened to Mike when he advised Sam to file charges against the thief but because he didn't want to ruin the guy's life, he had decided against it. What a stupid mistake—a mistake that could cost his company a lot of money.

After hearing the news, he stayed in the office until after midnight brainstorming with Kitty and Mike. When they had finally come up with a game plan on how to proceed he left the office feeling a little better but still pissed about what happened.

As he walked into the house, exhausted and frustrated, he was expecting for Mercedes to be fast asleep in her room, imagine his surprise when he saw her wide awake, sprawled out on the sofa watching a documentary. She waited for him even when he told her to go to sleep. Knowing that made all his stress from the day melt away. He was going to go change before he joined her in front of the television when she looked up and smiled brightly at him. Her smile made him smile, it always did. She was so beautiful when she smiled, which looked even better when the smile was reserved especially for him.

"Hey, Sam." She sat up making room for him to join her. "How was your day?"

"A disaster…" He kissed her chastely after he sat down, "But let's not talk about it. How was your day?"

"It was good actually. I had lunch with Puck today. It was fun, just like old times."

Sam tried not to cringe when Mercedes brought up Puck's name. He knew he had nothing to worry about when it came to the other man but he was a territorial man and he didn't like thinking about Mercedes spending time with any other man except for Kurt. It didn't boost his confidence that he had a strong feeling that Puck was romantically interested in Mercedes. He tried to tell Mercedes about it once and the infuriating woman just laughed at him, saying that Puck was a good friend and that if he wanted anything more, he would've told her a long time ago. He was relieved to hear those words from his wife but he couldn't help but feel that his instincts were right about the younger man.

"That's nice…" He kissed her forehead and began to play with Mercedes' hair. "Did you eat?"

"Yeah, I cooked pot roast tonight. There's leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry." She was about to get up when he stopped her.

"No, I'm fine. I ate with Mike earlier." Leaving out the part that Kitty was also with them. He hated lying to her but he had been doing it for three months now so there was no point in telling her now. It would just piss her off and right now a pissed off Mercedes was not what he wanted. "I just want to sit here and hold you."

"Hey, are you okay? You look really stressed." Mercedes asked, while she laid her head on his chest.

Sam didn't want to tell Mercedes about today but he knew that she would keep asking until he told her about his troubles. "You remember, David Karofsky? He's trying to sue Evans Enterprises."

"What?! Wasn't he fired for stealing? How the hell could he turn around and sue the company?" Mercedes asked. He could tell that she was infuriated by the way she scrunched her brows.

"He's suing us for slander. Apparently he told his lawyers that we didn't have enough proof to fire him."

"I'm sorry, Sam. I wish I could do something to help you."

"It's okay, baby. You could just sit here and hold me." He held her tighter and continued to stroke her hair.

Being with Mercedes calmed his nerves so they stayed holding each other until Mercedes broke the silence.

"There's this year long exchange program in Rome that my professor was telling me about today. I was thinking about asking you to go with me but since this whole thing with your ex-employee happened, I'm thinking that it's not such a great idea to go." She said, looking up at him.

Sam wanted to tell her that he would go with her so that he could see her smile but he knew that with the impending lawsuit, going to Rome for a year was not going to be possible. He felt bad for her. He didn't want to be the one holding her back from going, so he said, "I can't go but you can. A year will go by quickly and we can both visit so I really think you should go."

"I can't go, Sam. Well, I guess I could but I don't want to."

"But why? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for you, Mercy. I would feel bad if you didn't go because of me." He tried to reason with her.

"I'm not going Sam, so forget about it, okay…"

He was going to argue with her but she wasn't having it. She shut him up before he could say another word with that delectable mouth of hers. Mercedes kissed him hungrily which only enhanced his passion for her. When she straddled his lap and began grinding on him, he welcomed it. This was what he had wanted all day—to make out with her until they both came. As embarrassing as it was to cum in his pants like a hormonal school boy, he relished that feeling. He promised himself that he would not have sex with her until she ushered those three words that he'd been dreaming of hearing from her. Until that day, he would continue whatever they were doing because sex was not a big deal for him—okay, maybe it was but he'd lived with having to satisfy his urges with his hands and dry humping Mercedes to the mattress, so he was pretty sure he would be able to handle himself for a little while longer. He would rather have the woman he loved in his life then spoil things for them by complicating it with sex any day.

Sam's train of thought was interrupted when Mercedes unbutton his shirt and licked his nipple. God, she knew how to drive him crazy and he loved her for it. He countered her actions by moving his hands beneath her shirt and cupping her bare breasts. He loved the feeling of her breasts in his hands, they were so soft and big and her round nipples made him drool for a taste of them. Even though he really wanted a taste, he couldn't do anything because Mercedes was sucking on his neck which was probably going to leave a hickie and again he didn't care, it felt so damn good to care about anything at the moment.

"I love you, Sam…" He thought he heard her say but he must be dreaming so he ignored the words and continued to palm her big breasts.

When he swore he heard, "I love you so much, Sam…" he stopped and looked at Mercedes.

"Did you say something?" He asked unsure if he was hallucinating.

"Yeah. I said. I love you, Sam…" Mercedes told him, kissing him softly on the lips.

Sam was dumbfounded. He had been dreaming of this moment for so long. He always imagined that he was going to jump and down when he heard those beautiful words but when the words finally reached his ears, he was too stunned to do anything but stare at her.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Mercedes asked, looking worried.

He still didn't answer, instead he just stared at her like a brain dead person.

He blinked when he saw Mercedes' lower lip quiver—looking like she was minutes away from breaking down. "I-it's too late…You don't love me…" Mercedes stammered as her lips quivered even more. She was about to get off from their deliciously comfortable position when his brain finally started working.

"Where are you going?" He asked, pulling her back to his lap.

"I'm going to my room." She said sadly.

She really thought that he didn't love her. Well, he can't have her thinking such nonsense but it didn't mean that he wasn't going to make her squirm for a little while longer.

"And why are you going to your room?" He asked with a straight face.

"Because you didn't say that you love me back." She paused for a moment probably to see what he was going to say but he kept silent, enjoying her misery. "It's well past one in the morning. I'm tired so I'm going to bed." She said after pausing, looking like a wounded puppy.

Sam couldn't take it anymore. He laughed and laughed until tears rolled down his cheeks. Mercedes looked like she was about to kill him when he said, "The look on your face was priceless." He continued to laugh.

When his laughter died, he looked at her angry face and said, "I love you, Mercy. I love you more than anything else in this world. I can't believe that you think I didn't love you."

"That's not funny!" She swatted his arm and pouted. "I really thought that you didn't love me, you jerk! I hate you."

"Now you know that's a lie, baby. You just admitted that you're head over heels in love with me. So your hate confession doesn't count." He said, bringing her closer to him so that he could kiss her.

"Let go of me, you jerk! I'm going to bed." She wriggled around trying to get away from him but he just held on tighter.

"Oh no, you're not. I've been waiting for you to say those words for months now and I'm not letting you go until I get a proper kiss."


	13. Chapter 13

He kissed her, ignoring her false protests. When he sucked on her bottom lip, she moaned and started to ground her pussy on his cock again. He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue and plundered into her mouth when she opened up, kissing her with all the hunger and love he felt for her. She returned his kiss eagerly—as she buried her fingers in his hair, tugging on the locks firmly.

"Make love to me, Sam…" Mercedes said, getting up to undress.

Damn, if the sight of her slowly pulling up her oversized t-shirt didn't tighten his balls. This was going to be the first time he was going to get to see his wife fully naked and he was going to enjoy the view for as long as he could. The sight of her sexy, curvy, chocolate, body turned him on even more. Sam had dreamed about her stripping for him, and he had always thought that she looked beautiful but this beats all his wet dreams. Mercedes was definitely the sexiest woman he'd ever laid eyes on—maybe he was being bias but as his eyes drank in her perfect form, he couldn't give a damn about biasness at that moment. What made it even sexier was the fact that she was not shy about her nudity. Shyness was definitely not in Mercedes' dictionary. She proved that as she looked him in the eyes while she slowly pulled down her panties, when he saw her clean shaven pussy, he had to stop himself from drooling. She approached him slowly after each and every piece of clothing had left her body—her breasts swaying as she made her way to him, making him salivate even more.

"Take off your clothes, Sam." Mercedes said, helping him get on his feet.

She kissed him deeply as her hands unbuckled his belt and released him from his pants. While Mercedes was busy with getting his pants off, Sam took off his shirt, throwing it out of the way with haste. He lifted her into his arms and laid her on the sofa, not once leaving her sweet lips. As he positioned himself between her legs, she caressed his hair, urging him to move closer. Sam could see the pinkness of her flesh and her clit peaking out at him as he spread her labia.

"Please, Sam…" She moaned, tweaking her nipples while she waited on him to make his move.

Sam didn't have to be told twice, he immediately got to work on getting his wife to scream his name. It helped that she was so wet and tasted so good. Her moans and gasps made the process even sweeter. He lapped at her opening, teasing her with the tip of his tongue and savoring the taste of her juices. He could feel his turgid cock hitting him on his stomach—eager and ready to dive into the woman writhing beneath his touch. But he had to make their first time good for Mercedes, so he took a calming breath and went back to pleasuring her. She was so responsive to his touch which only egged him on, when he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked, it didn't take long before she screamed his name as her nectar flowed into his mouth. Sam kept on loving her slit until she stopped shaking and went still.

Mercedes' eyes were closed as she smiled with what he thought was a satisfied expression when he came up to join her. Her eyes only opened when he moved her so that she could straddle his lap.

"That was so amazing, Sam…" She said, kissing him softly.

"Mmmm… Thank you." Sam answered in between kisses. "I know I'm talented." He teased.

"Whatever, Mr. Cocky…We both know I could make you cum sooner with my even more talented mouth." She bantered back.

"Oh, I don't know… I don't think anyone could beat my talent in that department." He stated to see what her reaction was going to be.

"We'll see, shall we?" She smiled wickedly and made her way down his body—kissing and licking his chest and abs before she opened her mouth to swallow his drooling cock.

"Ahhh…" Sam hissed at the sensation of her lips and tongue, licking and sucking his eager cock. It felt so good, too good, that he knew he was going to cum before he could even dip his cock into her pussy. He didn't want to admit it—especially not to Mercedes—but he was sure that he was going to lose this competition. It was okay though, as long as she kept sucking him like that he was willing to lose to her any day.

Oooo

Mercedes was still in awe at the size of Sam's package. She had a feeling that he was big, judging by the way he would rub his erection onto her core but nothing could ever prepare her for the real thing. When she first saw his cock—if you could call it that—she swallowed loudly. Thinking, how the hell is that thing ever going to fit inside me? A girl had the right to be nervous, right? Especially when the man she was about to make love to had a cock the size of a baseball bat. Okay, so maybe a baseball bat was an exaggeration but still, what kind of a man carried a weapon in the form of his penis?

Shaking her fear away, Mercedes set to work on making Sam eat his words. She chuckled inwardly at hearing Sam's moans and growls of approval as she wrapped her lips around his cock and began to suck. Looks like I'm about to win this little challenge. She thought, happily. Her hands worked his cock and heavy balls while she leisurely suckled the bulbous head of his penis—trying to draw out as much pre-cum as she could. The salty taste of his essence turned her on. She had gone down on Shane before but it never excited her, in fact most of the time, she had to stop herself from gagging whenever she tasted his pre-cum—which was the reason why she never let him finish in her mouth. That was definitely not the case with Sam. She wanted to taste his excitement when he erupted, she wanted to do a million different things with her husband that she had never done before. Maybe it was because she was head over heels in love with him or maybe because everything about him left her wanting. Whatever the reason, she knew that she would not hold back.

"Swallow my cock, baby. God, you feel so damn good..." Sam said, moving his hips, making her take more of his cock into her mouth. She opened up her throat to accommodate his size, it was hard to control her gag reflex at first but after a while she got a hang on things and was able to take most of his length into her mouth. While she worked on getting Sam off, he pulled his upper body up. She wondered what he was up to until she felt his hands moved down her body to cup her breasts.

Mercedes hissed when Sam rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. The man really knew how to drive her crazy. If he kept that up, she might be the one screaming from a second orgasm. "You like that, baby? It feels good doesn't it? You sucking my cock while I fondle your beautiful tits." His naughty words turned her on even more. She sucked harder and covered his hand with hers—urging him to squeeze her breasts tighter. Before long, Sam was fucking her mouth freely, coming closer to erupting. She doubled her efforts and was rewarded with a harsh growl before Sam spilled himself in her mouth. The taste of his cum was too much for her, making her explode right along with him.

"I win…" Sam stated smugly after they both came down from their climax.

"What the hell are you talking about? You win?" She asked, sitting up and scowling at him. "I think I won, mister. I made you cum a lot sooner so I don't know what gave yo-"

"You came, didn't you? That's two orgasms for you and one for me. Which clearly makes me the winner since I…" he pointed proudly to his chest, "gave them to you."

She rolled her eyes at his comment. That was such a guy thing to say. "Fine, you win." She got up and turned, before looking back at him, "Now since you've given me two orgasms," she held out two of her fingers, "I'm going to bed. Thanks for tonight, Sam. I really enjoyed it."

Mercedes sauntered off without a backwards glance, making sure to sway her ass from side to side as she walked away. I wonder how long it'll take before he catches up to me… Apparently not that long. She had just reached the door to her room before Sam caught up to her, spun her around to face him—pinning her to the wall, and kissed her senseless. Her first instincts were to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hook her right leg on his hip as she kissed him back with fervor. He pressed his erection onto her center and began grounding his hips. How the hell did the man get his cock back up so quickly? She didn't know. It didn't really matter because at that moment all she wanted was for him to make love to her.

"We're not done, Mercy… We're not even close to being done. When I'm done with you, you're not gonna be able to walk for days because baby, I'm gonna fuck you so good that you won't care about anything but the feel of me thrusting in and out of you." Sam whispered, nibbling her neck and driving her out of her damn mind with his grinding.

"Sam…" Mercedes whimpered, wishing that Sam would take her out of her misery and bury his cock in her already. She wanted to tell him to get on with it, but it was too hard to talk when he was touching and kissing her like this.

"Are you on birth control, Mercy?" He asked, not stopping his ministration.

"Yes… I'm on the shot." She answered quickly. She had been on the shot since she started having sex with Shane. Even though, she always made him wrap it up, she didn't want to take a chance just in case they had an accident.

"Thank god…" He pecked her lips and pulled away. She was going to beg him to come back to her when she felt him line his cock on her slit and tried to penetrate her slowly. The fear that she felt earlier about them not fitting came back in full force. It was a snug fit and even with her wetness he was having a hard time fitting himself into her. "Shit, you're so tight, baby…" He tried to push his way in again but nothing was happening so she decided to help him out before he hurt himself or worse, her.

She got on her knees and sucked his cock, making sure to lather it with her saliva. When it was fully lubricated, she stood up, took his cock in her hand and lined it up to her pussy again. This time when he pushed, he had no problems sliding into her. She had to grit her teeth from the pleasure, pain sensation—she feared that she might pass out if Sam got a little too excited. Luckily, he took mercy on her, pumping into her slowly while she got accustomed to his size. After a few minutes, his thrusts increased. What she thought was going to be painful became unbearably pleasurable. She kissed his mouth again, as the pleasure increased. Her climax was coming and she knew that this time around it was going to be even more mind blowing then the past two.

"Don't stop, baby. I'm so close…" She begged.

"Can't stop… I need you to cum on my cock. Can you cum and blow my mind, sweetheart?" He cooed, his pounding on her pussy never stopped. With a few more strokes, he hissed, "Oh fuck, I'm about to cum..." and climaxed.

When she felt his cock pulsate inside her, she screamed. She remembered seeing stars as the most intense orgasm hit her right before she blacked out.

Oooo

"That. Was. So. Good." Sam said, trying to catch his breath after that earth shattering orgasm.

As much as he loathed to do it, he pulled out of his heaven and began kissing Mercedes' neck. The climax must have been really good for her too by the way she was slumped over his body. He leaned her against the wall and looked at her. Her eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face. He kissed her lips so that she would open her eyes to look at him but she remained the same—not responding or opening her eyes.

"You okay, Mercy?" He asked but got no answer.

Sam had a panic attack when he realized that Mercedes was not responding. Did he just kill her? Oh god, please don't let me kill my wife. He looked up above and pleaded. Right when he was about to put his head on her chest to check for a heartbeat, she snored. At first, Sam thought that he was just imagining it but when she did it again, he laughed.

"Poor thing… I worked her out so good that she passed out." He chuckled.

Feeling glad that nothing was wrong with Mercedes, he picked her up and entered her bedroom—soon to be the guest bedroom because there was no way he was sleeping without her from now on—careful not to wake her up. After laying his wife down, he snuggled up to her, and pulled up the comforter. When Sam was in a comfortable position, he kissed her on the cheek, whispered, "I love you, Mercy…" and joined her in slumber land.

xxxx

It was a few hours later when Sam awoke. He was dreaming of Mercedes riding his cock and him cumming in her tight pussy when he got jostled from his sleep. He was expecting to be alone and for cum to be oozing in his pants like usual but to his surprise he found that he was not alone. Mercedes was on his lap riding his cock just like in his dream.

"About time you woke up, sleepy head…" Mercedes smiled sexily as she rode his cock. "I hope you don't mind me using your body, baby. I tried to wake you up but you were dead asleep." She rolled her hips, pressing his cock tightly in her pussy and earning a hiss from him. "Your cock was so hard when I woke up that I couldn't stop myself from taking advantage of you."

"Did you enjoy using my body while I was asleep, sweetheart?" He asked as his hands kneaded her supple breasts—enjoying the way the globes felt in his hands and her dirty talk fueled his excitement. If it got his wife to talk dirty to him, maybe he should fall asleep more often.

"Yes…" She answered with her eyes closed. Sam could tell that she was getting close to climaxing just by the way she was quivering.

"Are you about to cum, baby?"

"Yes…" She undulated her hips and licked her lips.

"You wanna come on my cock again, don't you? Do you like it when I fucked you just now and when I came inside of you?" He asked, trying to coax her climax out of her.

"Yes…Yes…Yes…" She wailed as she came hard on his cock. He couldn't hold on any longer either. Seeing his wife go off on him, made him lose control and cum in her tight pussy. Like earlier, his climax shook him to the core and he couldn't do anything but enjoy the erotic current running through his body.

When Mercedes slump over and held on to him tightly, he asked, "You're not gonna pass out on again, are you?"

She laughed and kissed his neck, "No, but I do need to rest. You wore me out tonight."

"I wore you out? How is that even possible? I had sex with you once after which you fell asleep on me. I went to sleep with you and the next thing I know you were waking me up, bouncing on my cock." He questioned incredulously. "The way I see it, sweetheart, it was you who wore me out not the other way around."

Mercedes moved away and sat up, "Are you complaining?" She arched her brows showing her annoyance.

"No. I was just correcting you on your statement earlier. It wasn't my fault that you're tired, it's actually yours. You probably wouldn't be so tired if you had left me alone and went back to sleep." He answered, honestly.

"I see… In that case you should return to your room since I'm the one who's responsible for your being tired." She tried pushing him out of her bed but he wouldn't budge. "I'm serious, Sam. I'm tired too and I need my sleep. We can continue this some other time." She folded her arms defensively probably still waiting for him to leave.

Like that was ever going to happen.

"If you're so tired, go to sleep…I'll be here holding you." Sam answered, making himself comfortable on the bed and patting the empty spot on his right, for her to join him.

She didn't join him, instead she said, "I want to sleep alone, in my bedroom so you really should go." When she saw that he was not going to move, she pointed to the door and said, "Go!" in a demanding tone.

He might've over done it when he teased her just now but it was so worth it to see her pouting in anger. When she was like this, she was sexy as hell in his eyes. He couldn't take it anymore, he had to kiss her plump lips so he reached for her and kissed her until she could do nothing but respond to him.

When he felt her relaxing and giving into the kiss he pulled away and whispered, "You're so sexy when you're angry."

"And you're so not sexy when you piss me off…"

She pouted again so he pecked her adorable lips again. "God, I love you, Mercy. Forgive me?"

"I guess…" She smiled and lay down next to him—snuggling to his side and lacing their fingers together. They stayed in contented silence for a few minutes before Mercedes broke it. "So does this mean that our marriage is no longer a sham?"

When she looked up at him, he answered, "I hate to break this to you but our marriage hasn't been a sham since the day you told me that you were going to open up yourself to loving me. Have you not noticed how domesticated we've become since then? Sure, you just confessed that you love me and we just now consummated our love but to me you have been my wife since the day we took our vows. I love you, Mercy and I never want to let you go." He kissed her lips again and asked, "Does that answer your question?"

"Yes…" She giggled when he started nibbling on her neck. "And Sam…"

"Yeah…" He answered, looking at her.

"I really do mean it when I said that I love you." He could see the sincerity of her words when she spoke it.

"Good because I love you too. Now, why don't we pick up where we left off…" He suggested.

"Whatever could you mean?" She asked coyly.

He pinned her to the mattress and proceeded to ground his already turgid cock onto her moist pussy. "In this case, I think it's better to show you."

And he did just that over and over until true to his words, she could barely walk when Monday came around.


	14. Chapter 14

Mercedes stood under the shower head and let the water spraying over her head wash away her soreness. It had been over a week since she told Sam that she loved him and things had been going unbelievably well. She remembered Sam promising that he was going to fuck her so good that she wouldn't be able to walk when she went back to school on Monday and he had kept his promise. They stayed in and made love the whole weekend on every flat surface they could find and they still hadn't stopped going at it like rabbits even after almost two weeks of officially being together. She couldn't complain since she was partly at fault for the state she was in, which was why the early morning shower she was taking was very important, since it gave her time away from Sam.

The man's sexual appetite was insatiable. She swore that she couldn't be near him or he'd attack her. She still remembered how crazy he got with her when he got home from work last Monday. Sam came home late from having to deal with the David Karofsky lawsuit that night—he was home late a lot because of that case. She was getting a drink of water when he walked in. With a simple greeting of 'hi', he kissed her and fucked her in the kitchen twice before he took her into their bedroom—he had insisted on her sharing a room with him ever since she told him she loved him—and continued to fuck her for god knows how long until they both passed out from exhaustion. The memory of what they did that night still sent heat up and down her body.

Mercedes jumped when she felt Sam snaked his arms under her own and held her close to his chest. He kissed her on the crook of her neck and said, "I was wondering where you went…"

Her body immediately reacted to his touch, especially because he was rubbing her ass with his erect cock and massaging her breasts and nipples with his hands. "I was hoping to get some alone time before you pounce on me again." She hissed when he moved a hand down to her core to circle her clit. "I guess I'm not going to get that alone time."

"You guessed right…"

He started kissing her body then, planting wet kisses and licking her curves. When he got to her ass, he grabbed them and bit down on the globes, earning a giggle from her when he tickled her flesh with his teeth.

"I love your ass…" Sam said not stopping his ministration. "It's so sexy." He smacked the globes before turning her around and burying his face in her dripping slit.

Mercedes almost lost her footing when Sam stroked the bundle of nerves on her pussy with his expert tongue. Grabbing on to the wall for some leverage, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations running through her body. Sam brought her higher and higher as he buried his tongue deep in her opening and rubbed her clit with his thumb.

Grabbing hold of his hair, she begged, "Don't stop, baby, I'm so close…" She ground her pussy on his face, pulling at his blond locks as her climax got closer and within seconds she was flying off into space as she experienced an earth shattering orgasm. "Fuck..." She breathed after her shakes had subsided.

Sam stood up, kissing her deeply, sharing her juices with her. "I need you now, Mercy. God, I need you." He said almost desperately, before positioning his erection on her slit and slamming home into her depths. He didn't let go of the kiss as he rammed his cock in and out of her. The love making was intense, it was like he couldn't get enough of her. "I love you, baby…" He whispered into her ear before he sucked on the lobe.

"I love you too, Sam…" She hissed, enjoying the way his cock was hitting her spot. They fit so well together, it was like she was built just for him.

Mercedes arched her back and tried to make him go deeper—giving it back to him just as passionately, knowing that this was where she belonged, in his arms, forever. She was in a state of ecstasy as she held on to him while he pounded into her without restrain. She wanted their love making to last but there was no hope of that happening when she climaxed again, and this time with Sam shooting his load into her. The feeling of him spurting his excitement into her depths was indescribably good that she almost passed out from the sensation. Sam kissed her afterwards which she greedily reciprocated. They stayed that way, kissing and touching, until the water ran cold. Sam then dried her off, wrapped her in his arms and carried her into the bedroom where they continued their little games until they both had to leave for work and school.

oooo

After weeks of stressing over Karofsky's lawsuit, things had finally been resolved. David had no case against the Evans Enterprises and the court saw that too. They threw out the case without hesitation after that. Sam wanted to go home and make love to Mercedes as a celebration that night, but Mike and Kitty insisted that they celebrate by going out for drinks.

"I told you we were going to win, Sam." Mike said, raising up his glass and preparing for a toast. "Here's to us kicking David Karofsky to the curb!"

They clinked their glasses together and each took a sip of the celebratory champagne. "It's good to be the victor." Sam said proudly.

"Yes it does…" Kitty smiled happily.

Sam had to admit, even though he wasn't exactly comfortable with working with her at first, she did come in handy especially in this case.

"Thank you, Kitty. We wouldn't have been able to do this without you." He said sincerely.

"Yeah, thanks Kitty." Mike chimed in right before his phone starts ringing. "Excuse me guys. It's my girlfriend." He walked out of the bar without a second glance.

"So how are things with Mercedes? Does she like being married?" Kitty asked breaking the silence.

A smile immediately crept on his face. "Yeah, I'd say she's happy. I've never seen her this happy before." It was true. After she told him that she was in love with him, things had never been better for them and the best part was how good she was in bed. It was crazy but he swore he couldn't keep his hands off her. The thought of them making love for hours on end made his dick swell.

Trying to take his mind off the gutter, Sam looked at Kitty. Was it him or did he see a scowl on her face? Maybe it was just the lights playing tricks on his mind.

"That's great. I'm happy for you guys." Kitty went to pat his hand and spilled the green drink on the bar all over his shirt and pants. "Oh shit! I'm so sorry… I'm so clumsy." She picked up a few napkins and began to dab on his shirt but the damage had already been done.

Shit, Mercedes is going to kill me when she sees this. Sam still hadn't told her that Kitty was working with him and she thought that he was having a few drinks with Mike and a few guys at work. If she saw this green liquid on him, she was going to kill him. How was he supposed get out of this now? "It's okay, Kitty." He stopped her from wiping his shirt. "I gotta go though. Need to get home." Sam got out of his seat and said, "Thanks for your help again." He was about walk out when Kitty stopped him.

"My place is only a block away. Let me wash your shirt so you don't get in trouble with Mercedes. It'll only take an hour tops."

His mind was telling him to not do it but he was afraid of the consequences if he didn't get his shirt washed. "Okay…" He answered before he could even think clearly.

"Let's go. We'll tell Mike we're leaving, he should still be outside." Kitty said, as she gathered her purse.

Sam nodded and followed her out the door. They told Mike what happened—apologizing for having to leave so soon—and left the bar.

True to Kitty's words, her apartment was only a block away from the bar. He had left his car at the bar and rode to Kitty's apartment with her. Sam wasn't surprised to see the posh interior of her apartment, everything was in pristine condition and reminded him of the owner.

"So, where can I wash this shirt at?" He asked working at the knot of his tie which was currently stuck. Of course it was. Sam always had a hard time with his ties. It was usually Mercedes who tied and untied it for him but tonight that was not going to be an option.

Kitty must have seen him struggle with the tie. She walked up to him and reached for it, "Here let me." She worked at the knots while he unbuttoned his shirt. "There, you're all set." She said. After drawing the tie over his head, she helped him with the rest of his buttons and went into the kitchen to throw his shirt into the washer.

They chatted for an hour and once his shirt was dry and clean, he took his leave but not before he thanked Kitty for all her help. "Thanks for helping me tonight and with the Karofsky case, Kitty. You really are a lifesaver."

"No problem, Sam. I'll see you at the office tomorrow."

He gave her a friendly hug and walked out the door.

oooo

After Kitty shut her front door, she almost laughed. Sam was falling into her trap and he had no idea what she had planned. It was all too easy. She got into his good graces, worked to get the court to drop that dope David Karofsky's case and lured Sam back to her apartment so that she could get her plan accomplished.

Kitty walked to the bookshelf and retrieved the hidden camera that she had planted in between her books. She did it weeks ago just in case she could get him into her apartment and he had taken the bait tonight. Smiling wickedly, she said, "Now all I have to do is print a few pictures and Sam Evans will be all mine."

oooo

A few days later…

Mercedes was exhausted. With mid terms around the corner she had been hitting the books hard—when her horn dog of a husband was not around of course. Sam was home earlier now that the lawsuit with David Karofsky had been thrown out. It was good seeing him stress free but a stressed free Sam also equals a very busy and sore Mercedes. He couldn't keep his hands off her whenever she was around. She tried to make him stop so she could study but that would only work for ten minutes before he was at it again—hands rubbing her sweet spot trying to entice her to give her body to him. What was a girl to do when her hunky husband tempted her? Say no? Yeah, right… The word no was not in Sam's vocabulary—at least when it came to sex with her.

Laughing at her thoughts while exiting her car, Mercedes pressed the lock button on her car door opener and made her way to the front door, hoping to god that Sam was not going to be home anytime soon. She really needed to study and take a break from their 'activities' at least for the next few hours. As she approached the door, she saw a brown envelope on the ground by the 'Welcome Home' mat. Picking it up, she unlocked the door before reading the postmark. It didn't have a return address or who the sender was but it did state that the package was from her.

"Huh… I wonder what this is?" She asked herself as she ripped the flap of the envelope. The contents of the envelope came spilling out as soon as the flap opened. Bending down, Mercedes reached for what looked to be pictures. When the images were close enough to be seen, she gasped and with shaky hands picked it off the floor to get a closer look. To her dismay, the pictures were of Sam and a blonde woman. No, not just any blonde woman but Kitty Harris, Sam's rude ex-girlfriend that she met at dinner when they had just gotten married. In one of the pictures, Kitty was untying Sam's tie while Sam unbuttoned his shirt. There were a few more shots where Kitty was helping Sam out of his shirt. As she flipped through the pictures one by one she spotted a handwritten note behind one of the pictures that says:

I thought you'd like to know what your husband have been up to.

"No, this can't be true…" She muttered as she stared at the writing. "Sam loves me. He wouldn't cheat on me."

Sam couldn't have cheated on her, it just didn't make sense. Not only does he love her but he couldn't keep his hands off her when they were alone. They were together almost all of the time except for when he was at work and she knew he wouldn't have had the chance to cheat on her then. Sam hadn't even kept in contact with Kitty so how could this be possible? This must be an old picture of them. She thought. But as she inspected the pictures closely, she knew that it wasn't an old picture. The shirt he was wearing was one she picked out for him on one of their shopping trips together.

"It doesn't matter. I'll ask him what's going on. I love him and I'm not going to jump to conclusions." She said when she was seated at the sofa.

Mercedes wanted to get the pictures out of her mind so she stuffed them back into the envelope and placed it on the coffee table. She took out her books and tried to study but her mind kept drifting back to the pictures. Was Sam playing her just like Shane did? Did he only tell her that he loved her because he wanted to get between her thighs? Sam loves you, Mercy. He would never hurt you. Her mind told her, but after what happened with Shane she wasn't so sure if her instincts were right. It wasn't fair of her to compare Shane and Sam, they were two completely different people. They do have one thing in common though, they were both men and most men tend to think with their penises instead of their brains.

"Hey beautiful, what are you up to?" Sam said, startling her back to the present.

Before she could greet him back, he sat down next to her and kissed her passionately. Even though she didn't want to, she responded to his kiss right away. Sam pushed her on her back and deepened the kiss while grinding his erection onto her core. She let him have his way with her while she tried to forget about the pictures and lose herself in his kiss.

"I missed you so much, baby." Sam said as he nipped on the sensitive part of her neck. "I want to make love to you…"

Mercedes pushed him off her when she heard him say those words to her. She thought that she could delay the talk she needed to have with Sam but she couldn't. They needed to talk and she needed to know once and for all that she was the only woman for him and that he had never nor would he ever cheat on her.

"We need to talk, Sam." Mercedes said. She reached for the envelope and grabbed the heart breaking pictures from inside of it. "Can you please explain to me what these are?" She asked, before giving the pictures to her husband.

Mercedes waited with baited breath as Sam looked at the pictures, hoping that he would put her out of her misery and tell her that there was no truth to them.


	15. Chapter 15

"We need to talk, Sam." Mercedes said. She reached for the envelope and grabbed the heart breaking pictures from inside of it. "Can you please explain to me what these are?" She asked, before giving the pictures to her husband.

Mercedes waited with baited breath as Sam looked at the pictures, hoping that he would put her out of her misery and tell her that there was no truth to them.

Sam sat on the couch dumbfounded as he flipped through the pictures Mercedes handed him. These were pictures of him and Kitty from the other night when he was at her place getting his shirt cleaned after she spilled the drink on him. How did Mercedes get these? Most importantly how did something innocent be turned into a scandal? Looking at Mercedes, he knew that the pictures were killing her. He would feel the same way too if he was in her shoes. This was all his fault, if he had been honest with her from the very beginning none of this would've ever happened. Coming clean was going to be hard but he had to do it. There was no way he was going to lose her because of something like this. He loved her too much to let this be a factor and he was never going to let her go.

"Baby, this is not what you think it is…" Sam said, putting down the pictures and taking her hands in his.

"Really, Sam? If you're innocent those pictures would have never been sent to me…" Mercedes answered, looking close to tears. "I thought you loved me, Sam. I thought that things were different for us-"

He interrupted her before she could continue, "I do love you. I only love you, Mercy." He lifted up her chin and saw that her lips were trembling, "There's nobody else for me but you. Those pictures are not what they look like."

Mercedes looked away, "So you're telling me that somebody photo shopped those pictures? That you and Kitty never met behind my back?"

It was time to tell the truth, no more hiding now. "No, those photos weren't photo shopped. I did meet up with Kitty that day." Mercedes was still looking away so he cupped her face and turned it so she would look at him, "Kitty and I have been working together for a few months now. The law firm we hired St. James and Associates, sent her to us. She was the best, Mercy, and we've been nothing but professional."

"I don't believe you, Sam… If you were just working with her then why do these pictures exist? And why did you not tell me about working with her to begin with?!" She said, pushing his hand away.

"I was a coward, Mercy. I was too afraid to tell you the truth because I was afraid of losing you. If I could take it all back, I would but I can't, that's why I'm trying to explain everything to you-"

Mercedes remained silent for a moment, looking anywhere but in his direction. After a while she looked him in the eyes and said with a trembling voice, "Explain yourself and don't you lie either because I will find out, Sam Evans, and when I do, I will make you pay for lying to me. Again." Sitting back, she folded her arms and waited for him to talk.

Sam cleared his throat before he began. "Those pictures were from a few days ago. Remember when I called to tell you that I was going to out with a few people from the office to celebrate David Karofsky's case being thrown out?" She nodded, "Well those pictures were taken that night."

"Wait, are you telling me that you went to Kitty's house instead of to the bar?" She asked angrily.

"No! It wasn't like that at all. I went to the bar with Mike and Kitty. She spilled some drink on me and told me that I should get my shirt washed at her place. I went there for an hour, got my shirt cleaned and went home to you. Those pictures are of her helping me with my tie. You know how hopeless I am with my ties. That's all that happened. I promise you, I'm not lying." He said desperately. Sam needed Mercedes to believe him, if she didn't, he wouldn't know what else he would do with himself.

Mercedes closed her eyes tightly as tears flowed down to her cheeks. "I don't know if I can believe you, Sam. You could've come home instead of going to her house… You could've told me the truth about everything but you didn't. I've been lied to before and I just-"

Desperate for her to believe him, he pulled her into his arms, "I'm not lying, baby. Please believe me… I was stupid for not telling you the truth but I would never cheat on you. I love you too much to ever do that to you." He placed her right hand on his chest, "My heart beats only for you, Mercy. No one else could ever take your place. Only you."

"I love you too, Sam, but I need to be alone. I need to figure things out and clear my mind. I'm going to stay with Kurt for a little while." Mercedes said trying to get up.

"No!" He declared not letting her go, "This is your home, Mercy. You don't get to leave just because you're pissed at me. Stay here, we'll figure things out."

"You need to let me go, Sam. I can't stay here. Every time I look at you, all I can think of is you cheating on me with Kitty. I can't live like that." Mercedes said as she sobbed. "I- I can't, Sam. I can't…"

"Look at me, baby…" Sam said, lifting her chin. "I did not cheat on you, Mercy. I swear on everything I hold dear, I did not cheat on you." He told her with tears in his eyes. Sam could feel Mercedes slipping through his grasp and he had no one to blame but himself. Resting his forehead against hers, he closed his eyes and whispered, "Please don't leave me, Mercy… I'd die without you."

For a long while they stayed silent, when he heard Mercedes' heartbreaking sobs, he opened his eyes and pressed his lips on hers. Her tears kept falling as they kissed. The kiss they shared was soft and gentle unlike the lustful kiss they use to sharing.

Mercedes was the first to break the kiss, wiping away her tears, she looked up at him and said, "I'll stay but you have to promise me that you will never lie to me ever again."

Feeling relief at hearing her decision, he cupped her cheeks and responded, "I promise I will never lie to you again, Mercy-"

"I'm not finished, Sam…" Mercedes said stopping him from what he was about to say.

"Sorry…" He said sheepishly, "go on."

"Like I said earlier, if you want me to stay then there will be no more lies between us. Either you're one hundred percent honest with me or I'm walking away. And I'm sleeping in the other bedroom for a few nights. Alone. Deal?"

He didn't much like the idea of sleeping without Mercedes but he knew that he didn't have much of a choice, he would do anything to get her to stay and if honesty and sometime apart was what she wanted then he was going to give that to her. "Deal…" Sam said as he wrapped Mercedes in his arms, "I love you, Mercy. I love you so much." Pulling away from their embrace, he looked into her brown eyes and asked, "Can I kiss you now?"

"Yes…" She nodded with a smile.

With that he closed the distance between them and kissed his wife until they were both breathless. "Thank you for giving me another chance. I promise I won't screw up again."

* * *

Kitty stretched, lay back on the couch and let out a contented breath, kissing the photograph of her and Sam. She had been meticulous ensuring the photographs she took were of the highest quality and even took the time to hand deliver them. Something of this magnitude couldn't be left to the inept postal service, she smirked. Closing her eyes Kitty thought of how incredibly clever she was. Soon she would have all that she wanted, money, riches, fame, popularity and the handsome Sam Evans at her side.

Kitty pulled up to the Evans residence and applied another layer of lipstick. She had to look especially fabulous for this case. Kitty was used to manipulating the law, so manipulating Sam and Mercedes was child's play in her books. Mercedes was sweet, too sweet for her own good and Sam was ignorant but hot, she thought, he was so easily swayed. Getting him to her room was like taking a bottle from a baby, but she wanted him, she wanted every part of him. Mercedes Jones didn't deserve or appreciate someone of Sam Evans status, and she certainly did not fit the high criteria their clients usually sort. He suits someone like her, she smirked, looking at her reflection, then jumped out of her BMW and sauntered seductively to the large oak door. Tapping on the door she smiled, running a hand through her blonde locks, cocked an eyebrow and waited.

As Mercedes opened the door she began crying, fake tears filling her eyes, "Mercedes, I'm so sorry about those photographs, I don't know how you received them!" she cried and whispered, trembling uncontrollably, " I never wanted you to find out like this, I really didn't!" she sobbed, clandestinely looking at Mercedes through her fingers.

* * *

After the talk with Sam, Mercedes was feeling much better. It was good to know that the man that she loved didn't in fact betray her. She was pissed to find out about Sam's association with Kitty but quickly forgave him when he told her the truth. He was only working with her and nothing else. Mercedes wanted to stay mad at him and told him that she was going to go stay with Kurt for a few days—just so she could teach Sam a lesson—but his pathetic plea once again changed her mind and let her stay. Sam was still in the dog house. After they kissed and made up last night, she went and slept at the guest bedroom that used to be her room. Her poor husband was so distraught that she was refusing to sleep in the same bed as him that he slept on the floor next to her. She wanted to laugh at how cute he was being but knew that she needed to act serious.

Mercedes didn't fall asleep until wee hours of the morning. She missed being wrapped up in Sam's arms and smelling the scent of sandalwood on his skin—a scent she only associated as her husband's—as she fell asleep. It didn't help that he was bare chested as he slept—his muscles at display to her eyes—making her all hot and bothered for his touch. She was used to their nightly routine of fucking like rabbits for a few hours and cuddling up until they fell asleep, that it almost killed her when they had to sleep apart. Mercedes almost said 'screw it' to the whole thing and make him come join her in bed but due to her pride, she stopped herself from doing it. This morning Sam was especially attentive. He made her breakfast in bed and kissed her soundly, telling her that he loved her before leaving for work. Since her classes didn't start until late, Mercedes decided to lounge around the house and study for a few hours.

She was about to leave for class when she heard a knock at the door. After gathering her bag and books, she opened the door with a smile on her face but that smile quickly faltered when she came face to face with the woman who was the cause of her marital problems, Kitty Harris. Kitty was sobbing uncontrollably in front of her, as she said, "Mercedes, I'm so sorry about those photographs, I don't know how you received them! I never wanted you to find out like this, I really didn't!"

Mercedes couldn't trust Kitty, she couldn't put her finger on it but there was something not right with that woman. And to say that she didn't like the other woman, would be an understatement. Folding her arms in a defensive stance, she asked, "What do you want, Kitty? If it's about the photos forget about it. Sam told me everything so you're off the hook."

"Look Mercedes..." Kitty sobbed wiping away her tears, "I really don't know what you are talking about or who sent those photos to you to you but I never wanted you to find out about Sam and I like this...I really didn't!

Sighing at the pathetic state Kitty was in, Mercedes said, "I'm going to be late but why don't you come in so we can talk." She opened the door wider and ushered the other woman in. After placing all her things on the coffee table and taking a seat next to Kitty on the sofa, she continued, "I know those photographs were not meant to be dirty. Sam lied about you guys working together and I think someone sent those photos to me to get back at Sam. So like I said, you're off the hook. There's no need for tears coz I know that Sam would never cheat on me."

"I asked Sam to wait until we could both talk to you," Kitty sighed, "Sam and I truly never really got over each other. We tried to fight it but...I am so sorry Mercedes..." She bawled, "W-we never meant to hurt you. W-we just couldn't fight our feelings anymore," She wept, swiping away her tears.

"What? No… No… No! Sam would never go back to you." Mercedes said defending her husband. "He loves me! You're lying. You're some crazy bitch who can't get over Sam and now you're making up this lie to try to break us up." She stood up and pointed to the door, "You know what, you need to leave. I don't have time for thirsty ass bitches like you and that's what you are a thirsty ass bitch!"

Kitty shook her head as tears rolled down her cheeks, "I'm so sorry Mercedes, we love each other, we have for such a long time. He only married you out of obligation. He wanted to marry me, but felt the obligated to you and your family. W-we never meant to hurt you. I thought I could fight my love for him, but when he kissed me that night I couldn't help but relent. When we made love that night we knew we were not over each other. I'm sorry Mercedes." She wept shaking her head, "We didn't want to hurt you!"

Mercedes' heart dropped, she didn't want to believe Kitty but what would the other woman get for lying to her? The fact was, Sam did marry her out of obligation. But he said he loves me! Why would he lie about that? Tears sprang in her eyes when she thought of the man she loved cheating on her. She felt even worse as the thought of him faking his love for her played through her mind. Anger sat in when she realized that Kitty was the reason her heart hurt, before she could think twice her palm had made contact with the other woman's cheek.

"Whore! You knew that he was married yet you still slept with him? What kind of a desperate slut are you anyway?" Mercedes never used such language with another person before but she couldn't care less about being proper at that moment. Kitty had broken up her marriage and her heart and she wanted to lash out at the woman.

Kitty's tears fell from her eyes and shrieked, "How could you do that? It's not my fault he is in love with me, I told you we couldn't help it!"

"It doesn't matter if he's in love you. You should know better!" Mercedes said through gritted teeth. "Get the fuck out of here. I never want to see your face ever again!"

Kitty bowed her head, "Oh Mercedes, I am so sorry for hurting you, I can't say it enough, I deserved that. I deserve your hatred, but please," she cried, "Please don't take this out on Sam, he really didn't want to hurt you, he really cares for you in his own little way," she sobbed then stepped back and turned walking toward her car.

When Kitty was out of sight, Mercedes broke down and cried. She cried for her broken heart, for the love she thought was enough to keep Sam by her side and mostly she cried for the once again being duped by love. After half an hour of crying, she picked herself up and went into the bedroom she shared with Sam. Quickly packing all her things in her suitcase, she scribbled a note to Sam, took off her wedding and engagement ring—leaving them by the nightstand—and left without looking back. She didn't know where she was going, all she knew was she needed to get away, far, far, away.

* * *

Sam was worried sick, it had been days since he had last seen Mercedes and everyone was keeping quiet about her disappearance. He thought that everything was settled between them when they had that talk the other night. He must be wrong because when he got home from the office a few nights ago all of Mercedes' things was gone. She left a note say that she couldn't be with him and for him not to find her because she couldn't be with a man who lied and cheated. And along with that note was her wedding and engagement ring. Since then he had been restless. He tried contacting her parents and Kurt but no one knew of her whereabouts and even if they did know where she was, Mercedes probably made them swear not to tell him.

Not knowing what else to do, he decided that the only person who might be of help was Kitty. Unfortunately for him, she hadn't been in the office of Evans Enterprises in days. She had a big case with another company that she was in charge of and was working closely with them. She did however leave a message saying that she was going to be dropping in for a few hours today.

Sam was waiting impatiently for her presences when Kitty ambled into his office with a huge smile on her face. Grinning from ear to ear Kitty leaned toward Sam and kissed him gently on the cheek, "Hey Sam…" She said cheerfully, "How are you?" Kitty grinned, took a magazine and leaned against his lacquered desk.

"Not good, Kitty, not good at all." He said, frowning, "Mercedes left me and I don't know what to do…"

Kitty placed the magazine she was holding down on the desk and frowned, "What? Why would she do that? Mercedes wouldn't just leave you for no reason Sam, she loves you."

"I thought so too, we got into a fight over a few photos of you and me-" It was then that he remembered about the cause of his and Mercedes' rift in the first place. It was those damn photos. Looking straight into Kitty's eyes, he stated, "Mercedes received a package a few days ago from an unknown source and in that package were pictures of you and me from the night we went out to celebrate the victory over Karofsky's case. I don't know how the person who sent the pictures to Mercedes got a hold of the pictures but it was taken in your apartment and in it, it looked like you and I were about ready to have sex. I don't want to accuse you of any wrong doing but I have to ask you this, how did those pictures came to be? Did you do this on purpose, Kitty?"

"No, Sam. I would never do that. I don't even know how someone could get access to my apartment. I've never given anyone a spare key." Kitty started pacing around the office, looking down then all of a sudden she looked up and said, "I think I know who's behind this… It has to be him."

"Who are you talking about?" Sam asked confused at her statement.

"Dave Karofsky. Think about it Sam, you fired him and he wanted to revenge by suing you but that all fell apart in court. Since he couldn't get you back legally, he went after your marriage. He must have followed us that night."

Could she be telling the truth? Could Dave Karofsky be behind all this? He wasn't so sure of the answer but deep down he knew that Karofsky was capable of doing such a thing, he wanted revenge on Evans Enterprises after all.

Shaking his head in dismay, Sam mumbled underneath his breath, "Just my luck…"

Kitty came around and began to massage his sagging shoulders, "Now, now, Sam… Don't beat yourself up about it. It's not your fault that Karofsky is such a slime ball."

"I know… But because of him, I don't know where Mercedes is now. I miss her, Kitty, I miss her so much that I can't think about anything but her." Sam felt defeated. He didn't know what else to do. No one close to Mercedes was willing to help him and he was slowly losing his mind without her by his side.

"Have you contacted her friends and family? Maybe one of them can help you?"

"I have but none of them are willing to help me. It's like she's disappeared off the face of this earth."

Kitty stopped massaging his shoulders and turned his seat around, "Are you sure about that? There has to be someone who can help you. How about her best friend?"

A smile crossed his face at Kitty's suggestion, "You are a genius, Kitty Harris. I know now she can help me…"

"And who might that be?"

Smiling, he picked up the phone and dialed the number of the one person he knew would help him, "Kurt Hummel."

* * *

Kitty lay upon the leather lounge perusing the photographs she had sent Mercedes and smirked, "You are too gullible, Sam Evans" then chuckled evilly as her hand traced the photo of Sam's taut chest, a wicked grin enveloping her. Slipping her hand into her pocket she pulled out her Iphone and began to dial a number.

"Bonjour…" she slithered, "is this Belles Fleurs? I would like you to send a dozen longs stemmed red roses to a Mrs Mercedes Evans, with the simple message, Please meet me at Le Amis, I love you. She will know who it is from. Thank you very much,"

Then she quickly dialed another number. It was Sam's secretary and grinned, "hello darling this is Kitty, how are you? I'm organizing a surprise for Sam and Mercedes I need him to meet her at Le Amis, 6:00 pm sharp. They are going to be so excited," she laughed. "Now remember I'm surprising them so don't tell him it was me. Thanks darling, you're the best," she smirked and then hung up.

Oooo

A week had passed since Mercedes left Sam, she was still very much in love with her husband and her heart was still broken but slowly and with the help of some of her friends she was moving on. Mercedes was now living with Rebecca her ex-roommate in a two bedroom apartment not too far away from campus. She hadn't told a soul about her whereabouts, figuring that it was probably for the best that they didn't know for she feared that one of them was going to tell Sam where she was. She did call her parents and Kurt to inform them that she was safe and made sure that she called them at least once every two days.

Mercedes was getting ready to meet a few friends for dinner that night when her cell phone started to ring. Looking at the screen, she smiled and answered when she saw Kurt's name flash in front of her, "Hi Kurt…"

"Damn it, Cedes, this is getting ridiculous," He screamed, "I know you say you are fine and all but I am at my wits end with this shit Cedes, where the hell are you? Why the hell did you leave Cedes? What happened? You better tell me and you better tell me now girl!"

"Well hello to you to too, Kurt…" Mercedes answered with an eye roll, "You know I can't tell you where I am, Kurt." She sighed, then said, "I just need to be away alright…" She wanted to tell Kurt the truth about Sam's infidelity but couldn't find it in her to make her husband look like the cheating bastard he truly was, so she kept that part to herself.

You better damn well tell me what happened girl..." He growled, "you cannot leave me in the dark with this shit Cedes, I am dying here! Sam is worried, and I am damn well freaking out! How could you do this to me?"

"Why are you being so nosy, Kurt? Frankly this is none of your business is it? Just butt out, already!" She screamed back at her best friend in frustration. "Wait, Sam called you? What did he w-" She stopped her questioning, knowing that she should no longer care about Sam. "Never mind, don't answer that."

"Nosey? Oh no we won't go there girl...and you are always my business!" He huffed, then continued, "Of course he called me...Who else knows you better than me? Look, Cedes..." He took an audible breath before continuing, "Sam is really worried about you, he looks terrible, it's really a sickening sight to behold," Kurt giggled.

"I know, Kurt but I can't tell you anything. I don't want you to have to choose sides. Trust me it's better this way." She lay back on her bed and frowned, "You went to see, Sam? And he didn't tell you what happen?" All of a sudden she was angry at the fact that Sam had avoided from telling Kurt the truth. "You really want to know what happened?" Mercedes questioned and before Kurt could answer she went into her spiel, "If you must know, Sam cheated on me with his ex-girlfriend Kitty Harris. She told me this herself the day after I confronted Sam about the pictures some anonymous party sent me of Sam and her in a compromising position. That's why I left, Kurt. After what Shane did, do you think I would want to stay with a cheater?"

"What are you talking about taking sides, Cedes? You know I will always take yours," he chuckled, "Anyway, yeah I saw Sam and Cedes he is heartbroken, he just doesn't know why you left!" Kurt audibly gasped at Mercedes following statement, "What? Sam cheated? No, I don't believe it Cedes he loves you and with Kitty dog face? Oh c'mon Cedes this must be some kind of a joke!" Begins to chuckle then is silent for a second, "C-Cedes are you s-serious?" he stammered.

"It's not funny, Kurt…" She said even as she giggled as Kurt called Kitty, Kitty dog face. "Yes, she told me that they're in love and that Sam didn't want to hurt my feelings which was why they were keeping the relationship a secret. As much as I want to believe that Sam would never cheat on me, he's a man, Kurt and they cheat. Shane proved that. I refuse to be the victim again. I can't be the victim again, Kurt!"

"Oh girl..." Kurt's voice was now tinged with concern, "I'm so sorry darling, I really can't believe this is happening, Sam and Kitty? And you say they have been keeping it a secret?" There was silence again, then suddenly he began to rant, "Wait one minute, Mercedes Jones!" He growled, "Did you talk to Sam or did you only talk to Kitty? Because what I am hearing right now is that you girl need to talk to that husband of yours. Did Sam tell you he was in love with her? Can you tell me that Miss Jones? Can you?"

The wheels started turning in her head as she listened to her best friend. Kurt was right, all she got was Kitty's side of the story. She never did get Sam's side. That's because you ran before he could explain! "You're right Kurt, I never did give Sam a chance to tell me his side of the story but what if Kitty was telling the truth? What if he does love her and is only with me out of obligation to our marriage deal? I wouldn't know what to do or say if he really is in love with Kitty, Kurt."

"Look Cedes, you have never been one to shy away from conflict," Kurt responded, "I refuse to believe that Sam is in love with Kitty, I see how he looks at you Cedes, I can see how much he loves you!" Then whispers, "You know I love you, Cedes, you know I will always look out for you. Talk to Sam, Cedes," he continued, then laughed, "Cos I don't want no dog faced bitch anywhere near that fine ass man of yours!" Then added seriously, "Please talk to him Cedes and remember I will be checking up to see if you called him Mercedes Jones, I love you."

Mercedes still had a hard time believing Kurt, but chose to listen to him instead of arguing further. "I'll think about it, Kurt… Love you too."

She hung up and gathered her things to head out, as she was about to open the door, the doorbell rang. "Rebecca must've forgotten her keys again…" She mumbled.

"Delivery for Mercedes Evans?" A man holding a bouquet of red roses handed her flowers and pointed at the clip board, "Sign here please…"

Mercedes frowned before signing the receipt, wondering who had sent her the flowers, "Thank you."

She went back inside and shut the door before reading the attached card. It was from Sam. He requested that she meet him tomorrow at Le Amis. She was still weary and very angry at Sam, wanting to throw away the card and forget that she ever received the bouquet in the first place, but then she remembered Kurt's advice and decided to go see Sam. Things may get resolved or they may not. All she knew was tomorrow, she was going to face the Sam come hell or high water. With that in mind, she placed the flowers in her room and left to go meet her friends for dinner.


	16. Chapter 16

Sam picked up his office phone when he heard it buzzing. "Yes…" He said, his eyes still glued to the computer monitor.

"Mr. Evans, I just wanted to remind you that you have dinner reservations at Le Amis at 6:00 pm with your wife." His secretary, Robin, stated.

Sam's brows scrunched hearing her statement. He didn't remember scheduling dinner at Le Amis. He never needed to do that before. He and Mercedes both preferred spontaneity. Wherever they ended up eating was always a spur of the moment choice. Puzzled by the announcement, he asked, "Are you sure, Robin? I don't remember making reservations at Le Amis."

"Yes, Mr Evans, I'm sure. A note was left on my desk this morning to remind you of the dinner. I even called the restaurant to double confirm. Mrs Evans must have scheduled it." She told him.

"Okay, Robin. Thanks for reminding me."

"No problem, Mr Evans. Let me know if there is anything you might need." Robin stated before hanging up.

Sam couldn't go back to work after that. His mind kept wandering back to Mercedes. How did something so good turned so bad in a blink of an eye? He still wondered why she left without an explanation. Things were going great when he left for the office. Well, maybe not great but good enough. They were coming to an understanding but then she ran away and all that he was left with was questions. He felt even more boggled by the invitation he had just received. If she didn't want anything to do with him, why bother inviting him to dinner?

Sam decided then that it didn't matter why she wanted to meet with him. What mattered was that she was taking the first step to reach out to him. He couldn't ponder on the matter for much longer as his phone once again started to buzz. Again it was Robin, reminding him of his two o'clock appointment with Mr. Yamamoto.

####

Arriving at Le Amis fifteen minutes ahead of schedule, he was seated at the reserved table right away and ordered the best bottle of wine in the house, knowing that his wife would like it. He then began perusing over the menu.

"Sam?" He heard a familiar female voice call out to him.

He looked up then to see Kitty standing in front of him. "Hi Kitty, what are you doing here?"

"I have a date." The blonde told him with a smile.

Looking around the dining area, he wondered where her date was. Sam was going to ask but she beat him to it.

"I bet you're wondering where my date is, huh…" Kitty fished out her phone from out of her clutch and looked at it. "Apparently, he'll be late." She shook her head and asked, "Anyway, what are you doing here?"

Sam nodded in understanding, "Sorry to hear that. First date?" He arched a brow when she drag out a seat and sat down without being invited but didn't want to make a big deal over it, so he kept mum about it, "And I'm waiting for Mercedes to get here. She wanted to have dinner tonight." His eyes were gazing around the restaurant trying to see if his wife had made it in. "But I'm early which is why you find me alone right now."

"That's great news, Sam… I'm glad that she is ready to work out the problems between you two." Kitty patted his hand, "I've never been here before. How is the food?" She asked, her eyes zeroing in on the menu.

"I'm really glad for it too." Sam smiled dreamily. "I'm really looking forward to getting past this bump on the road and having a fresh start." Scrunching his brows, he looked at Kitty and stated, "I still have no idea why she left."

Kitty shrugged still reading the menu, "She must have had her reasons for leaving." She put down the menu and touched his hand, smiling gently at him, "It will be alright, Sam. Your ordeal is almost over. I'm sure things will work out after this dinner."

Sam felt uncomfortable at her touch, he was going to remove his hand but was drenched with cold water before he could do it. Looking up, he gazed into the eyes of the offender. It was his wife, Mercedes. He grabbed the linen napkin and began wiping his face. "What the hell, Mercy!"

Mercedes straightened her outfit and looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror before getting out of the car. After over a week of not seeing Sam, she was finally going to meet up with him. She didn't know what to expect from this meeting. She wanted to believe that things between them could be fixed but after her confrontation with Kitty, she didn't know if that was even possible anymore. This meeting should help clear things up between them. She was going to ask Sam for the truth. If he was in fact in love with Kitty, she would let him go. There was no use holding on to someone who didn't love her, she had learned that lesson with Shane a long time ago.

Mercedes was outside Le Amis, looking in through the window when she spotted Sam. A smile formed seeing him but it quickly disappeared when she saw that he wasn't alone. He was with Kitty and from what she could see they looked really cozy together. Kitty was holding Sam's hand and he didn't even look like he was the least bit remorseful for cheating on his wife. She wanted to leave and leave them be but the stubborn, jilted woman in her was telling her to go inside and confront them. Letting her emotions win, she let her legs lead the way. She didn't intend to do anything stupid, she just wanted to tell the both of them to go to hell but before she could comprehend what she was doing, she was grabbing the pitcher of ice water from a waitress and dumping it on Sam.

"Tell me again that nothing is going on with you and her!" Mercedes said lividly.

Sam audibly gasped, wiping himself with the linen napkin on the table, "What the hell, Mercy!"

Mercedes ignored his remark, instead choosing to throw daggers at Kitty with her eyes. If looks could kill, the other woman would be dead and buried by now. She couldn't believe that there were women like Kitty Harris in the world. Was there really not enough men around that she would go after a married man? She wanted to put all the blame on the other woman but knew that Sam was just as much at fault. He chose to cheat. He chose to stick his dick where it did not belong, so as much as Mercedes wanted to blame Kitty, she knew that she was not entirely at blame.

Shaking her head in disgust, her vision went back and forth between the two as she told them, "You are both disgusting human beings. I hope you're happy, Kitty, because you've won. You got what you wanted. You get to have Sam all to yourself." After removing her engagement and wedding rings, she slammed them on the table and continued to say, "Just in case you don't already know, I want a divorce." After saying those last words, Mercedes walked away from the restaurant. She kept her head held high and pushed back the tears that were threatening to spill free.

Once she was in the safety of her car, she pulled her cell phone out and dialed Puck's number. "Hey Puck, change of plans, I've decided to go to Europe. I have to go now. I'll talk you about it later. Bye…" She hung up and drove away, determined to put the foolishness that was Sam Evans in her past.

Sam was baffled by what just happened. Why was Mercedes so angry? He was here for her, it just so happened that Kitty was there when she arrived. He wanted to explain the situation but when she poured ice water on him, he knew that he wouldn't be able to make her see reason. Aside from the confusion that he felt, he was also angry at her. She left him without an explanation, making him sick with worry for her and instead of discussing the issues she had with him tonight, she chose to douse him with ice water. He was even more confused at the question she posed at Kitty. What did she mean by 'I hope you're happy, Kitty, because you've won. You got what you wanted. You get to have Sam all to yourself.' He wanted to question Kitty about it but this was not the place to do it. Besides would be a pointless query. Kitty was here to meet her date. If she still had any kind of feelings for him, she wouldn't be going out on a date.

Preferring not to think about the messy situation right at that moment, he looked at Kitty and said, "I'm going to have a few drinks while I'm here. You should probably go find your date." Waving the waiter over, he gave him the menus and told him, "I'm not going to eat anything tonight. Just bring me a bottle of your best wine."

The waiter gave him a blank stare before taking the menus away, "Very well, sir…" After giving them both a curt nod, he left.

An hour later…

Kitty's plan was coming off perfectly. Mercedes was out of the picture and Sam was getting hammered right in front of her. In a minute, she was going to drag him out of the restaurant and would be having her wicked ways with him. Feigning concern, she placed her hand on his to stop him from taking another drink and said, "Don't you think that it's time to slow down, Sam? You've had too much to drink already."

Sam shook his head and removed her hand from his before drinking the rest of the wine in his glass, "No, this is really good wine. I'm paying for it so let me finish it." He picked up the bottle and poured the rest of the content into the glass.

Kitty was very happy with what she was seeing. Sam looked completely broken. He's all mine now. She smirked inwardly at the revelation. Once he had finished all of the wine, she said, "The manager keeps giving you the stink eye. You should really stop." She started to gather her things and stood up, "Come on, I'll take you home."

"But I'm not done yet and I'm a paying customer. They can't kick me out…" Sam retorted like a petulant child.

"This is not a bar, Sam, they can and will kick you out if they have to…" She grabbed his arm forcing him out of his seat, "Now, come on… Let's not make a scene." After paying, they left the restaurant. When they were outside the establishment she said, "I'm going to take you back to my place to sober up. Where are your car keys?"

Swaying a little, he rifled through his pants pocket before producing the keys. "Here… But I'm going home as soon as I'm sober."

"Of course you are…" She returned, taking the keys from him and walking towards the parking lot. You won't be going home until I've had you in my bed, Sam Evans. Were her last thoughts before driving off towards her apartment.

Sam didn't want to be alone after everything that happened earlier. He shouldn't be hanging out with Kitty right now but she was a friend to him when he needed her to be and he was grateful that she was offering to take care of him while he was in this state. Distraught would pale in comparison to what he was feeling at that moment. Don't think about it, Sam. Don't do this to yourself. Just let it go.

"I need to use the bathroom." He said as soon as they entered Kitty's apartment.

"Okay… It's straight back to your right." She pointed towards the location of the bathroom.

"Thanks…" He flashed her a smile that didn't reach his eyes before retreating to the bathroom.

Sam leaned against the door as soon as he shut it close, breathing in deeply. He needed some alone time to himself to process the occurrences of that night. It all felt like a bad dream. One minute he was waiting for his wife, hoping that they would be able to mend things between them and the next he was wet and cold and being cussed out by the same woman he not only adored but loved beyond reason.

After handling his business, he washed his hands and face. He looked up at the mirror after wiping the access water from his face and saw a man he barely recognized anymore. He looked tired and haggard. "You look like shit, Sam Evans… No wonder Mercy left you. Pull yourself together. Go home and fix this mess. Get your wife back."

The little pep talk he had with himself renewed his spirit. He was going to put this whole mess with his wife to bed once and for all. He loved her and come hell or high water, he was going to fight to save their marriage.

Turning off the tap, he exited the bathroom with the intention of telling Kitty that he was leaving. "Hey, Kitty, I'm all sobered now, so I'm g-" He stopped short when he saw her in the living room. She was buck naked, a vibrator in hand, plunging it in and out of her slit. "What the fuck are you doing?" He asked, quickly averting his vision.

"I'm pleasuring myself. What does it look like I'm doing?" She purred.

He didn't dare look at her, disgusted by her boldness. "You couldn't do that in your private time?"

"Oh come on, Sam… Don't tell me that you're not the least bit excited to see me masturbating. I did this all for you, baby. We are meant to be together. Mercedes was just in the way." Kitty began laughing, "She is such an idiot. How can she not know that she was being played? Oh well… It doesn't matter now. She is out of the way and we can finally be together, Sam, like we were always meant to be."

Anger bubbled within him. It all made sense now. Mercedes' remark earlier, the angry glare she sent towards Kitty, it all made sense. "It was you all along. You sent Mercedes those photos. You sabotaged my marriage."

Kitty rose and began to walk towards him, still shamelessly buck naked. "Very good, Sam… You finally get it."

"Why? Why would you do this to me? I thought you were my friend…"

She let out a laugh before saying, "We are friends but I want more. When I saw you again that first time, I knew I had to have you and I did everything that I can to get you back. I have succeeded. Mercedes will never take you back, so why don't you stop trying to fight me and be with me. I am so much better then she is. I'm skinnier, prettier, smarter. You name it, I have it. I don't even see why you would want to be with that fat bitch."

"Don't talk about my wife that way! She is a much better person then you will ever be. You are nothing to me! Nothing! And I will never touch you. Not even if you're the last woman on earth." He spat out angrily.

Sam had never struck a woman in his life but at this very moment he was truly tempted to do it. Kitty had ruined everything he held dear and he couldn't forgive her for it. He had foolishly fallen into her trap and now his marriage was in peril. Grabbing his keys from her coffee table, he left her apartment without another word. She tried to chase after him but his quick steps and her nudity made his escape easier. When he reached his car, he took out his phone and dialed the only person that would be able to help him. Kurt Hummel.

His wife's best friend answered the phone sounding groggy. "Hey, Kurt, I'm sorry for calling you so late at night but I really need to meet up with you…"

He could hear Kurt yawning before he said, "That's alright, Sam. Meet with you when? Now?"

"The sooner the better. I'm such a fool, Kurt, and I'm afraid that Mercy will never forgive me." He was so frustrated that he felt like slamming his head against the steering wheel.

"I'm available tomorrow. We can meet up for coffee in the afternoon. You sound so distraught… What happened, Sam?"

"Tomorrow afternoon sounds perfect." Sam let out a sigh and said, "It's better that we talk about this tomorrow. It's hard for me to explain right now."

"Okay, Sam, I understand. I will see you tomorrow at 2pm for coffee. There's a Starbucks a few blocks from my apartment, I will meet you there."

"Alright… Just text me the directions, Kurt. See you tomorrow…"

"I will. Goodnight, Sam. Try not to stress yourself out. Whatever it is, we'll figure out a way to fix it." After saying those last words, the other man hung up.

Sam looked straight ahead and uttered to himself, "Everything will be fine, Sam. You'll fix this and get Mercy back." Those words kept playing in his mind for the rest of the night, almost as a reminder that he needed to fix what was broken.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, so I've decided to repost MOC. Chapters 17 onwards will be co-written with my role play partner, Lana. The tone of the story will be more straight forward because that's how you do it in the role play world, so if you are confused or need more clarification, feel free to check out our role play accounts. The links will be posted at the end of the message. **

**MOC will not have a Beta reader from now on, so if you see any mistakes, I'm sorry. I'm only human and I can only read the chapter so many times before I get tired of it. Anyway, enjoy the chapter and if you would be so kind, I would love it if you could leave me a review.**

**Here's our role play URL's:**

**(marriage-is-not-for-mercy.)(tumblr.)com**

**(lovestoned-sam.)(tumblr.)com**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.**

* * *

Sam knew that he shouldn't be calling Mercedes. She was pissed and rightfully so. His stupidity had hurt her. He still couldn't believe how dumb he had been. He should've known that Kitty was up to no good but being the typical man, he refused to believe that she would actually do something so despicable. Now, his marriage was in shambles because of it.

Pacing around the room, he dialed Mercedes' number hoping she would pick up the phone. When he heard the click, he immediately said, "Mercy baby, please talk to me, I made a huge mistake and I'm sorry, just let me explain..."

"I don't want to hear anything from you, Sam. We are over. You can go back to Kitty. You two deserve each other." She said, anger clear in her voice.

He stopped pacing and dropped his head; feeling defeated, "Mercy please, I love you. I don't want Kitty. Can you come home so we can talk this through?"

"What part of I don't want to talk to you, do you not understand? We are over, you hear me, over! I don't ever want to hear from you or see your face again."

"No, Mercy! We are not over. I didn't do anything with Kitty and I need you to believe me. I love you and I would never hurt you on purpose. I know I should have told you that she was working for me, but I swear baby, I didn't do anything with her, I didn't even touch her."

The brief pause felt like a million years. His heart broke a little more when she said, "I gave you my trust and my heart and you broke it. You are just like Shane. No, you are worse than he is."

The fragments of his broken heart shattered into a million pieces, hearing her comparing him to Shane but he wasn't going to give her up without a fight. He loved her and he needed her to know it. "That's not fair, I am nothing like Shane. Please just come home so we can discuss this like rational adults. I love you, Mercy…"

"I'm done with you, Sam. Don't ever call me again.

"Please, Mercy..." Sam pleaded right before he heard the phone click. He tried to call her back but it went straight to voice mail. Frustrated with the outcome of the phone call, he screamed out, "Damn it!" and threw the phone onto the bed.

xxxx

Sam sat at Starbucks, waiting for Kurt like they agreed on. His main reason for this meeting was to figure a way to get Mercy back. When he saw Kurt walk in, he waved him over. "Hey Kurt how are you? You want a coffee or something? My treat."

Kurt smiled and sat down, "I'm doing good, Sam. Yeah, let's order first before we talk." Ten minutes later; as they were sipping on their coffees, his wife's best friend asked," So, what did you want to talk to me about?"

He sighed as he looked down at his coffee—unable to meet Kurt's eyes, "I fucked up Kurt and I need to get my Mercy back. I know I messed up by not telling her that Kitty was working with me, but in my defense, I did listen to some horrible advice." He shook his head and mentally kicked himself for listening to Mike. "It is not an excuse, but I've never cheated on her. Never had the desire to… I love her so much and I would never do that to her, but I can't even get her to listen to me. Now, she's going to Rome, and talking about divorce..." His head snapped up right then and looked Kurt square in the eyes, "I can't lose her, you have to help me get her back, Kurt."

Kurt sighed and said, "I talked to Mercy Me today and it seems that you're right. She is going to Rome. I've tried talking some sense into her but she's being stubborn." Kurt shook his head and continued, "You should've told her about Kitty to begin with, Sam. You don't even want to know how betrayed she felt when that idiot, Shane, broke her heart. She put up a wall around her heart after that and I really thought that you had finally made a break through, I guess I was wrong…" He stopped talking for a moment to take a sip of his coffee—probably considering what to say next, "So tell me everything that happened with you, Mercy and Kitty. I might be able to help if knew everything."

"I know I should have told her and I take full responsibility for my actions. It was careless and stupid and if I could change it, I would do it without hesitation but what's done is done. Now I need Mercy to listen to me, because I realized a little too late that Kitty is a snake and she was and is still after me. After everything went completely wrong at the restaurant, I went back to Kitty's to sober up. I know dumb move, but I was drunk, and driving was not an option, so when she offered to sober me up, I went without a question. Once I got there she went all 'wanna be sexy Kitty' on me. She masturbated in front of me, Kurt!" He said the last part a little too loudly, making a few of the patrons look his way. Feeling embarrassed, he rubbed the back of his neck, "She told me that she sent those pictures to Mercy. I was so mad and I wanted to choke her, but I just got the hell out of there instead, and now I am in this situation... How am I going to get her back, Kurt? This all seems like a huge mess, but I have to get her back, I can't live without her."

Kurt looked at him with his eyes bugged out, "Wow… She really is crazy." He pursed his lips angrily and furrowed his brows, "Wait until I tell Mercy about her crazy behind. I can't believe that there are women like her in this world."

"I know, she's nuts... I can't believe that there are women like that either and I never want to deal with her again. The thing is, she acted like she changed when she started working with me and I bought that act." Sam sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day, "I know I should have been smarter about that but what's done is done. Now, all I can do is fix things and get my Mercy back."

Kurt shook his head, "Just talk to her, Sam. She may be stubborn but I also know that she loves you. She'll soften eventually. I will try to talk to her too. She's supposed to be meeting up with me before she goes off to Rome, so I'll tell her everything when we do meet up. It's going to take time to get back in her good graces but if you love her enough, it will happen, she'll take you back. In the mean time, you need to go to Rome. She's told me that she's not backing out of that trip, so you need to go and be with her."

"Yeah, I will try to talk to her, but she's not listening to me. She threatened me with divorce Kurt...DIVORCE! I told her that I won't sign the papers and I mean that. I know I am going to have to work extra hard to get her to just listen to me, but I have no choice. I love her so much and I will do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes to get her back." When Kurt suggested that he follow her to Rome, he smiled, "I am one step ahead of you. I've already started making plans to go to Rome, and I will not come back unless I have Mercy with me. Also…I was wondering if maybe you could come to Rome with me to help me get her back? I know she would be more receptive to the idea, if you were around. And at this point, I could use all the help I can get. So…what do you say?"

"She must really be mad to threaten you with divorce. One thing I know about Mercy Me, is she always means what she says and if she's saying that she wants a divorce then she will try everything to get it. I'm not going to sugar coat things for you. Things will be tough for a while, Sam..." Kurt smiled and nodded, "Sure I will go but I have school so I will be flying in and out a lot." He patted him on the arm and said, "Don't worry, Sam, we'll get her back. I need to figure out a way to soften her a little. That girl is as stubborn as a mule most of the time..." He laughed.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, she was pretty pissed, and I know she was serious, but so was I. I am not signing any divorce papers." He said it with determination. "I know that it's going to be hard for me to get her back, but like I said earlier, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to get my Mercy back. I love her so much. She is my everything, Kurt." His tone of voice softened as he smiled at Kurt, "Thanks for doing this. I'm so glad you're willing to help me. I'm going to need all the help I can get to get her back."

"I really like your fighting spirit, Sam." Kurt patted his hand and smiled, "I hope you keep it with you because you're going to need it to win this war. Oh yes, this is a war my friend. When you have to fight a stubborn person like Mercy, it's a war..." He smiled, "It's not a problem… I'm here to help in whatever way I can.

"Oh, and don't worry about your travel expenses. I will take care of it for you, just tell me when you can come and I'll make it happen."

"Thanks, Sam, I won't be able to afford the tickets to go to Rome."

He realized that it was getting late when he glanced down at his watch, "I hate to have to cut this short, but if I'm going to Rome for a year, I have to pack, and tie up a few lose ends." Getting up, he started to walk out of Starbucks with Kurt. Once outside he shook the other man's hand and said, "Thanks again for the help, Kurt. l'll be in touch."

Kurt laughed and got up as well. "Yeah, you should do that. I will give you a call once I've had that meeting with Mercy Me." He walked out of Starbucks with the blond. "Oh and Sam, she loves you. I know she does. You just have to look at her to know that she's madly in love with you." He shook the other man's hand and smiled, "I'll catch you later, Sam." As he was walking away, he overheard Kurt shouting, "And remember, don't give up!

He turned back around and shouted back, "Never!" They waved at each other before going on the opposite directions.

Xxxx

Sam was packing his things for his trip when his phone rang. He didn't even get a chance to say hello before Mike started questioning him.

"Sam, what is this I'm seeing you leaving for a year?

"Yes, Mike, I'm leaving for a year." He said as he grabbed his shirts from the closet, "Mercy is trying to leave me, and I can't let that happen. She's going to Rome for a study abroad program and if that is where she's going, then that's where I'm going."

"Why is Mercedes trying to leave you? Does this have to do with Kitty?"

"This has everything to do with Kitty." He dropped the shirts on the bed and sat down next to it, "She saw Kitty and I at Le Amis and she freaked out."

"Wait...What the hell were you doing at Le Amis with Kitty in the first place?"

"I was waiting on Mercy. She had made reservations for us and before she showed up, Kitty was there. She told me that he had a date but he never came."

"Seriously Sam, you cannot be that dense, you can't really believe that Kitty just so happened to be there. Nothing Kitty does is by coincidence when it comes to you.

"I know that now…" He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "She threw herself at me back in her apartment."

He could hear his friend gasp before angrily asking, "What the hell were you doing in her apartment? Have you lost your damn mind? Are you trying to ruin your marriage?

"I only went there because I was too drunk to drive home. I should have taken a cab home, because what she did once we got there was insane." Sam cringed at the memory of what happened, "Dude, she masturbated right in front of me, and admitted she was the one that sent Mercy those pictures."

"She did what?! That girl is crazy, she seriously said she sent the pictures?"

Sam nodded—although he knew that his friend wouldn't be able to see it—and said, "That she is man. Yup, it was all her but you do know this is your fault too, right?"

"Whoa...wait, how is any of this my fault?"

"It's your fault because you told me not to tell Mercy about Kitty working here and she was pissed when she found out. She wanted to know why I hid that piece of information from her."

"Yeah, I guess that is my fault." Mike said sounding sheepish, "Sorry, man, but you didn't have to listen. She's your wife, not mine."

"It's okay. The deed is done. And that's why I'm going to Rome for a year. She's my wife and I'm going to get her back. I can't let her be away from me for that long, Mike." He dropped his head down and began massaging his temples with his right hand when he felt a headache coming on, "Anyway, I'm leaving you in charge while I'm gone, man. I'll be checking in on a regular basis, but I have faith in you and I know you can handle it."

"I hear you man. Go get your woman; I can take off things here. When are you leaving?"

"Oh I will get her back, if it's the last thing I do." He told Mike with a smug attitude, "I leave in two days, so do me proud. I gotta run man, I need to run a few more errands, but I'll talk to you later."

"I'll do my best, man. Good luck with Mercedes. Call me if you need me. Talk to you later. Bye."

"Bye…" After the line went dead, he went back to packing.

* * *

Mercedes couldn't sleep that night. She was anxious about the trip. Everything was packed and she was set to leave in two days but she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. She needed to talk to somebody and the one person that came to mind was her best friend, Kurt. He always gave the best advice and at that moment, she needed his advice. Without thinking further, she lay down in bed and texted him.

**Mercedes: Hey Kurt, I'm leaving for Rome in two days, so if you wanted to we can meet up for lunch tomorrow afternoon. Let me know. Love you!**

Five minutes later, her phone binged. She picked it up and read the message her best friend sent.

**Kurt: Two days? That's quick... Yes, I'll meet you for lunch tomorrow. Have you told Sam that you're leaving yet?**

Mercedes rolled her eyes when she read Sam's name. She didn't want to talk to him or have anything to do with him ever again and she made her intentions clear in her reply to Kurt.

**Mercedes: Yes, two days. The trips been planned for months now, I just happen to be their last minute addition. Yay! That's great cause' I really miss you. No, he doesn't need to know. I want nothing to do with him, Kurt, and I mean that.**

**Kurt: Okay... That makes sense. Mercy, I know that you're angry but you should really talk to him. He was wrong when he lied to you about Kitty working for him but he didn't cheat on you. Just give him a chance, Sweetie. It's not fair for you to just leave him like that.**

She didn't understand why he had to talk about Sam all the time. All she needed was her best friend. Instead, she was getting marriage counselor, Kurt Hummel, which annoyed her beyond words.

**Mercedes: Don't start, Kurt. I'm really not in the mood to argue with you. Here's the bottom line, he lied to me about his association with Kitty, he could've told me that he was working with her but he chose not to. How can you expect me to trust him after that? Besides, the photos were evidence enough and let's not forget about what happened at the restaurant.**

**Kurt: I'm not trying to argue with you, Mercy Me. All I'm saying is that you're being unfair. You don't even know the full story and here you are judging Sam. He's not Shane, Sweetie, and you can't compare every guy with that loser, especially not Sam.**

She hated crying over men but with everything that had happened, she couldn't help the tears that were falling down her cheeks. She was tired—tired of getting hurt. Sam promised to never hurt her and yet he did. She didn't know that it was possible but he had hurt her even deeper then Shane did. Tears were blurring her vision when she typed her reply, begging Kurt to stop talking about her relationship problem.

**Mercedes: Kurt... I really can't talk about this. I'm done with men. All they do is hurt women. Well, except for you of course. Can we please not talk about my sham of a marriage? I don't want to talk about Sam or Shane, I just need my bestie. Please...**

**Kurt: You are so stubborn...but yes, I will let it go for tonight. Don't think that I'm going to stop trying to talk sense into you though because that will never happen. Where are we meeting tomorrow?**

She couldn't be happier that he had dropped the subject. Although she was still crying, she didn't want Kurt—or anyone for that matter—to suspect that she was upset, so she made light off the situation.

**Mercedes: I know I am but you love me anyway. Fine... I knew you wouldn't stop lecturing my head off. Lol. I'm craving Indian food. Wanna meet me at Taste of India?**

**Kurt: Yeah... Yeah... You're lucky I do love you. Oh, you know me too well, Mercy Me. Lol. Taste of India sounds delicious. So I'll meet you at noon tomorrow?**

**Mercedes: I know I am and I love you too, Kurt and I'm rolling my eyes at you. Okay great, I'll see you at noon tomorrow. It's late, I better head to bed, I'll see you later. Love you!**

**Kurt: You can roll your eyes at me all you want, Missy, it's still not going to change the fact that I'm going to talk sense into you. Alright, sweetie, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you too!**

Once she had read his last message, she dropped her phone next to her and closed her eyes; hoping that the tears and pain in her heart would miraculously disappear.

xxxx

Mercedes was actually enjoying herself at lunch. Her initial thought of her best friend bombarding her with advice about her marriage turned out to be untrue. He was leaving her alone for once and she was really enjoying not having to talk about her marital problems but of course, it couldn't last. Nothing good ever lasted…

"So… I went to lunch with Sam the other day and he told me about everything that went down with Kitty." Kurt said as he stirred the ice in his Iced Tea with his straw.

She let out a sigh when and stopped him from going further, "I don't really want to know. We are not here to talk about Sam. We are here to enjoy lunch together before I fly off to Rome."

"We are enjoying lunch but I also told you that I wasn't going to let the subject go, so you're going to listen to me." He folded his arms and raised a challenging brow. When she didn't say a word, he continued, "As I said, I went to lunch with Sam the other day and he told me about Kitty. Turns out, she has been planning everything all along. After you left the restaurant, she brought Sam back to her apartment and tried to seduce him. Now, I'm going to agree that Sam was an idiot for not telling you the truth about working with the crazy woman in the first place but I know he loves you. He's not Shane; he's not going to hurt you like that dope did."

Mercedes was really not interested in listening to Kurt talk about Sam. This was her last night in San Francisco and she didn't want to have to think or talk about that cheating bastard. But Kurt had to always have his way, so she had no choice but to listen to him. "Fine… I'll listen." She was ready to shut him out until she heard his explanation. Could it be true? Could all this be just a set up by Kitty? Her heart was telling her to trust this but her head had seen too many evidence. She would be lying if she said that she didn't miss him but he had also broken her trust and her heart along with his lies and she couldn't simply forgive him that easily. He had to earn her trust again. "I believe you…" She sighed, "But I'm not ready to forgive him, Kurt. He hurt me when he lied. He should've known better. I told him what Shane did and he knew that it would hurt me when he lied, but he did it anyway. I just need to put a little bit of distance between us."

Kurt's eyes widened at her admission, "Mercy, I love you with all my heart but sometimes, I wish I could whack you upside the head." He shook his head, "What did I just say about Shane and Sam being different? Yes, your husband was an idiot for lying but he is also a man and men are idiots. I can tell you this because I am one. Come on, Mercy Me, you can't just leave. Sam would be heartbroken."

Mercedes let out a laugh at Kurt's threats, "Of course you would but in this case I'm not budging." Nodding her head, she agreed with his statement, "I know you're right, Sam is not Shane but I'm hurt and for now, I need my space." She reached for his hands and squeezed them, "Look, I promise that I won't file for a divorce, but for now…I need my space so I can clear my mind. Maybe in a few months I'll be able to forget about everything and talk things out with Sam. There are things in my life I need to reevaluate and I need to do it alone."

Her best friend sighed and said, "If that's your decision, please do me a favor." He squeezed her hands back, "Tell Sam of your plans. I know you're angry with him right now but he deserves to know. Will you do that for me, Mercy Me?"

Mercedes didn't want to have to talk to Sam about leaving. She was afraid that she was going to back out of going to Rome, if he asked her to, but Kurt was right, she needed to tell him. He was still her husband after all. "I will. I'll have a talk with him tonight. Thank you for understanding, Kurt; you're a true best friend." She smiled, "Now, can we please stop talking about this and get back to us?"

Kurt smiled brightly and nodded. "That's great, Mercy Me, I'm so proud of you. You're my best friend and it's my job to be here for you." He rolled his eyes playfully at her request, "Alright, if we must stop talking about this, then we must but you better talk to that husband of yours before you leave."

"Didn't I already say that I was going to talk to him… Stop bitching and finish lunch already. Sheesh..."

They went back to having lunch where all talks about her marriage ceased.

xxxx

Mercedes stared out the window, trying to come up with the courage to call Sam. She had been wondering what to say to him all day and nothing was coming up. "Just do it... Kurt was right; you have to talk to him." After taking a deep breath, she grabbed her phone and dialed his number.

A few rings later, Sam answered with a, "Hello…"

Mercedes bit her bottom lip when she heard his voice. How was it possible that a simple hello could send chills up and down her body? Although she hated to admit it, her husband unnerved her. Whether it was in a good or bad way, she didn't know and she didn't want to know. After taking a much needed breath, she said, "Hello Sam, Kurt told me that I had to call you and tell you that I'm leaving for Rome, so I'm doing it. I'm going to Rome for a year to study."

"Wow Mercy, thanks for telling me something that I already know, is that all Kurt told you to tell me?" He answered her sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes at that. Sucking in her teeth as she tried to tamp down her anger, she said, "Yup, I was being polite and now that I've said what I needed to say, I can leave in peace. Good luck with everything."

"I appreciate you being polite Mercy, thank you. So you really have nothing else you want to say to me. And if you mean good luck with getting you back, then thank you."

Mercedes was really started to get annoyed with his tone but she had to continue talking to him if she wanted him to let her go to Rome alone. "No problem. My parents raised me to be polite." She decided not to tell Sam that she knew the truth. She needed her space and if she told him, he would definitely come after her, "Nope, nothing at all." She rolled her eyes again, "That was not what I meant but whatever..."

"Well okay then, I hope you have a great time in Rome, you know you can call me if you need anything, as mad as you are with me, I'm still your husband, and I intend to continue to take care of you."

"Thanks, Sam." She stayed silent for a minute, not knowing how to answer him, "I don't need anything. All I'm asking for is space. I need space to think. Can you please give that to me?"

"You're welcome Mercy. Space huh?" There was a brief pause on his end, "Well, you don't have to worry about me, I will try not to bother you. I never make promises that I can't always keep."

"Yes, space." She had never felt more relieved that he was going to give her the space that she asked for. "Thanks, Sam-" She scrunched her brows at his later statement, "Wait, what was that supposed to mean?"

"It means that I love you Mercy, and if I feel like you are serious about this divorce, then I would be in Rome so fast your head would spin. I'm not giving up on us, Mercy. I love you too much to do that."

"I-" Mercedes started to say but couldn't continue. She bit her lip to stop herself from telling him that she knew everything, "I won't file for a divorce. I promise that I won't."

"Thank you Mercy, the divorce would be my main reason for flying to Rome."

She smiled when he promised not to follow her, "Thank you, Sam. That means the world to me. Well, you don't have to worry about that, I'm keeping my promise."

"Can I ask you for another favor, Sam? I need you to leave me alone for now. I want to have a year in Rome with no drama and if you're there, drama will surely follow. Please just give me that."

"Yeah, sure…" He said at first before following it up with a question, "What do you mean I bring drama?"

A frown marred her face. She didn't want to hurt his feelings but at this point, she would rather do that then have to worry about facing him again, "I don't mean that you bring drama per say. What I meant was if you went to Rome, I'm going to get upset and drama will follow."

Mercedes could hear him sigh which really worried her, "You're welcome Mercy, and I promise not to follow you to Rome, but if for one minute I feel something is off, I'm dropping everything and flying there. Can you at least promise to call me on a regular basis so I won't worry about you?"

"Thank you." Mercedes thanked him heartily, preferring not to push her luck by trying to argue with him about the future of their relationship. He was agreeing not to go to Rome and for now, that was enough for her. "I promise that nothing is going to happen and yes, I guess I could call you once a week, to check in."

"Thank you Mercy, I really do appreciate that. I will be looking forward to your call. Have a great time in Rome. And even if you don't feel the same about me, I love you. Bye, Mercy."

"Thanks, Sam." It took everything in her not to tell him that she loved him too but she managed, "I'll talk to you next week. Bye, Sam." Once she hung up, she went to lay on the bed, feeling a little more at ease with her upcoming trip.

Xxxx

Mercedes waited outside the dressing room while Rachel tried on one of the many dresses she picked for the trip. She was helping out her shy friend and had promised that she was going to help change her wardrobe. Although Rachel never said anything about it, she had always seen how the brunette would look at Puck. The girl was sprung. Now, all she had to do was to uncover the blindfolds from Puck's eyes, so that he could finally see Rachel as the kind hearted, beautiful woman that she was. In order to do that, they had to go shopping. Rachel was a sweetheart but she had a dreadful sense of style and they had to change that about her as soon as possible.

"Are you okay in there? Let me know if you need any help, Rach." She hollered.

"I'm fine, Mercedes but I don't think this is the right dress for me."

"You've been in there for the past half an hour, Rach. Why don't you come out of the dressing room and show me what you got on. I'll tell you if it's a yes or a no."

" Okay, but don't laugh…"

"I won't laugh, I promise. Now, come out of there before I pull you out." Mercedes giggled and waited for Rachel to show her what she was wearing.

Rachel opened the door slowly and stood in front of her looking really uncomfortable—pulling on the hem of her dress, "It's too short and sexy for me. I'm not used to wearing clothes like this."

"Stand up straight and quit fidgeting. I need to look at the whole thing."

After a minute, Rachel did as requested. Mercedes' jaw dropped to the floor when she saw what her friend was wearing. She was sporting a burgundy fitted strapless dress which showed off her figure—for once—and she thought that the petite brunette looked amazing, "You look hot, Rach! You definitely have to buy it. Puck would lose his cool when he sees you in this dress."

Rachel frowned at her—probably not believing the words she was telling her, "Really? You think I look hot?" She blushed, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was buying this for me and not anyone else."

"Of course you look hot. I wouldn't say it otherwise." She shook her head and rolled her eyes playfully, "Sure you don't... Give it up Rachel, I know you have the hots for Puckerman. Why don't you tell him how you feel? It would be so much easier if you did."

Rachel let out a sigh before she replied, "Fine… I do like him but he doesn't even know I'm alive.

Mercedes smiled brightly when her friend admitted her true feelings. She always knew that Rachel held a torch for Puck; her confession only helped to confirm her suspicions. "Oh Rachel, I'm sure that he does. He's just too blind to see you, that's all."

"Is something wrong with him?" Rachel looked down and worried her bottom lip, "Do you think that maybe he's gay or something? Not that anything is wrong with being gay but I've noticed that he only hangs out with you."

She laughed, "No, he's not gay. I think what he needs is a push in the right direction."

"It must be me. I'm too plain or something."

"You are not plain, Rachel, you're shy. There's a difference. What if I help you out? You can hang out with me in Rome. We'll make Puck notice you."

It wasn't until after she suggested that they hang out together, did her friend look up. "Are you sure you want to hang out with me? I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't suggest it otherwise. Besides, I think it's about time Puck finds a nice girl to date. And you, Miss Rachel Berry, are the perfect candidate." She then pushed her back towards the changing room, "Now, why don't you take that dress off so we can pay for it and after that, I'm going to bring you out to lunch to celebrate our trip to Rome."

"Thank you, Mercedes. I hope you're right about this. It would be really embarrassing if he didn't like me at all." Rachel walked towards the dressing room and turned around when she was at the door, "I'm glad you're coming to Rome. I'm going to have a better experience with you there." She smiled, "Alright, let me go change and we can have that celebratory lunch."

While Rachel went to change, she looked through the outfits that were displayed right outside the dressing room. Rachel ended up picking a few more outfits before they left the store to have the celebratory lunch together.

* * *

Sam was sitting in his office, working on his computer when he felt like he was being watched. Looking up, he saw Mike glaring at him. "Hey Mike, what's up?"

Mike stood there with his arms folded and asked, "What are you doing here? I thought you were going to be on your way to Rome by now."

"Yeah, I was, but Mercedes and I talked. She asked me for some space and as I much as I hated to do it, I told her I would give it to her, but only after she promised not to file for a divorce."

Mike looked at him with a raised brow, "So you think this is wise? What if she grows distant from you while she's away?"

Sam put his pen down and took his glasses off, "Thanks man, I'm already nervous about letting her go and you had to bring this up on me, now I'm worried." He sat back and sighed, contemplating on whether or not he should call his wife.

The laugh that came from Mike made him look up, "Sorry dude, I wasn't trying to freak you out, but she was just talking about divorce, and now she's asking for space. It makes me wonder if she's just bidding her time…"

He tried not to freak out but Mike's words got him thinking and when he started to think, his mind would go into every kind of situation. And at this moment, he only had negative thoughts, "I don't think she's doing that but could she actually be thinking that way?" He shook his head rapidly, "Nah, I have to trust her, if I question her about this she might freak out and leave me for good and I can't have that."

His best friend laughed yet again, "Dude calm down, you are going to have an heart attack, if you don't. Go with your gut, if you trust Mercedes then trust her completely and don't let me or anybody else make you feel differently."

Sam listened to Mike and was about to agree with what he was saying, until he saw a new post pop on his screen on Mercedes' Facebook page. He stared at the screen and read the post over and over again—not believing what he was actually reading, "Fuck!" He finally shouted.

"Sam, what are you looking at? Are you okay?"

Sitting back, he ran his hands through his hair, anger coursing through his body. "She hasn't even been gone for one day!" He finally looked at Mike and began to apologize. "I'm sorry Mike but we'll have to talk later."

Mike tried to question him again but he wasn't listening. He was too busy grabbing his phone and dialing Mercedes' number instead. When she answered, he immediately started asking, "Mercy, what the hell is going on over there? Why is that son of a bitch kissing you and making plans to kiss you again?" He closed his eyes and massaged his temples, "I'm trying to keep my promise Mercy, but he is making it really hard on me."

* * *

**Uh-oh… Even more trouble in paradise for Samcedes. Sam will be having a really serious conversation with Mercedes on the next chapter and will also be heading to Rome. Want to see what happens while he's in Rome, read on… The next chapter should be done by the end of next week.**

**Reviews feed my muse, so please send me some.**

**For those who follow my other fic, One Kiss; the next chapter will be updated by the end of this week.**

**xoxo,**

**lovessamcedes**


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